The Hardest Part
by SageoWind218
Summary: Post SH4. A year has passed... and along with a new neighbor, Henry has to deal with even stranger happenings than before and a new man in Eileen's life... HenryxEileen, OCxEileen ON HOLD
1. Strangest Start

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I blame this all on **SaddenedSoul. **... 'Cause I CAN! Bwahaha!

No, seriously, this is something I've concocted in my head for a while. And I have this weird feeling I'm going to be hated after this...so, might as well try it!

Now, to the reviewers of **Room of Angel**.

Gaia Faye: I actually responded to your review on my Xanga account. I might copy it and paste it below the chapter. Thanks for the review though and thank you for updating **Impaired**.

SaddenedSoul: Thanks again. I'm still not over the fact I freaked people out. I was planning on making it worse, but I didn't now how that would settle on people.

Sammie: Thank you. I'm glad it was sad in a 'twisted and disturbed way.' I actually didn't plan for it to come out the way it did, but right then, I was ready to end the story. ... Okthnxbaibai.

Super b-chan: Thank you.

Warnings: Angst, spoilers, my errors, a Walter dummy (I'm gonna steal it, I swear...), and other crap like that. Also, there are two **origina**l characters, but they have to be in there to make the story go the way I want it to. ...We just can't have Cynthia or Richard coming back from the pits of Hell...

Henry, Eileen and other references and characters to SILENT HILL is owned by Konami. You wouldn't want me to own it, because it would be so screwed up it's not even funny. It probably wouldn't be that scary either, seeing that I'm having a hard time with it. I fought my first ghost though::points to Victim 13:

Also, the title is inspired by Coldplay's song. I don't know if I'll put lyrics or not; probably not. But, they own the song. It's own their newest album, which I recommend. The first chapter is actually a line from the song. Hey! That's what I'll do!

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The Hardest Part

Chapter One: Strangest Start

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It had been easy enough to do... at least, in his mind when he had derived the strange concept. He would just waltz in, give her the flowers, and be on his merry way... sort of. He shuddered at the bittersweet thought of seeing her again now that it was all over. The psycho in the coat had failed... and surely, he wouldn't try to kill them for his corrupted 'Mother' again. They had eluded him several times until he faced the man in the final battle that determined whether she would see another day or be churned between the sharp steel blades in the vat of crimson where her body would be blended into the bloody mixture. However, he had been quick enough to stop Walter, and thus, they escaped, never looking back to that awful place where they had seen their ultimate nightmares...

Well... he had at least gazed back to the gray complex before heading toward St. Jerome's Hospital with his slightly sore arm. And as he remembered staring back at South Ashfield Heights, he could recall the tranquil feeling coldly slipping up his aching spine once more despite what he gone through. The Hell he had endured because of Walter Sullivan would forever taint his memories and soul, and yet, here he was, feeling the same placid ambiance that had accompanied the structure since the first day he had laid his emerald eyes on it. It was like a mother's embrace, trying to lull him to a deathly sleep with a false angelic lullaby that he was all too familiar with. It was so deliriously tempting... But he resisted the urge to rush back into Room 302, knowing full well that he wasn't ready to deal with packing his few possessions just yet. Not yet... at least, until he had seen her...

Now, he stood in front of her door, trembling slightly with apprehension and excitement. Beyond the tall wooden rectangle was a woman who, before all of the previous events, barely acknowledged him. Then, unwillingly, they walked the fine line between death and life together, holding hands and cautiously treading through the corruption that laid waste to familiar sights... such as their apartment building. But, that when in the past now, and Henry Townshend could deal with the problem that laid ahead... just beyond the door... all he had to do was embrace the opportunity.

He hadn't even knocked, which he cursed himself mentally for after he had proceeded inward into Eileen's hospital room. He turned his shaded gaze towards her as she raised her head to see who had entered before giving him a warm smile. He couldn't seem to return it, but did make up for it by showing her the flowers in his hand. They weren't extravagant or fancy in any way, but when he had bought them, he thought they were better than any expensive bouquet of roses could be. He had scoured the whole stuffy flower shop for them... since they had been his mother's favorites...

His traitorous mind flashed an image of Walter's insane grin, but he quelled the fear that accompanied it before Eileen could notice his change of disposition and question the cause of it.

He was afraid that she would show a face of disgust at how meager the bundle was, but never did the sneer he was so sure he would receive ever appear. Instead, a grateful and welcoming smile took its horrid place and Henry exhaled happily. She softly whispered her gratitude as she took the bunch of light-colored flowers and stared at him for a moment, her look of appreciation shining in the sunlit room.

"Guess I'll have to find a new place to live, huh?" said Eileen with a soft hint of humor.

Henry had no real idea what to say to this woman that made his voice constrict in his throat and his forehead sweat in nervousness. He had no thought as to why she might had even had a reason to go back and live at South Ashfield. His mind tried and tried again to reasonably find the right words to say, but it gave up and Henry nodded once before leaving the question to dwell in the rampart of his mentality.

Afterwards, the nurse came in with Eileen's dinner, which would be her last meal at St. Jerome's before returning back to South Ashfield to pack and search for a new place to stay. The nurse had made a 'boyfriend/girlfriend' comment as she set the tray of hospital food down, at which Henry blushed and Eileen laughed before saying that they weren't together. The nurse had glanced over at Henry's standing form and noticed a hurt expression crossing his face before it formed back into its former stoic self. She was about to say something to her patient, but then decided against it and promptly walked out of the sunset-colored room, her heels tapping loudly against the tiled floor.

After eating and a pleasant conversation about the different apartment complexes present in Ashfield, Eileen had gathered her purse and anything else of hers to take back to Room 303 while Henry stood outside and waited for her to walk out of the room so he could drive her back. While he patiently stood there, watching doctors and nurses pass by him, along with a few patients and visitors, Eileen's nurse had seen him and walked over to him.

"A 'La Belle Dame sans Merci,' huh?" (1)

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Henry had emitted a curious sound deep in this throat and was about to flusteredly ask her what she meant, but she had left as quickly as she came, leaving behind her distinct taps on the floor and ebony hair that moved along with her in a quickly-done braid. He watched her leave, his mind scratching at its ends to figure out why she had made the comment. She rounded the corner, leaving him alone in quiet, bland hallway. The only sound that he could hear was the hum from the overhead lights.

Eileen had walked out suddenly from her room with a smile on her lovely face. She touched Henry's shoulder lightly before saying she was ready to go. He nodded, turning away from the direction the nurse had gone to follow Eileen towards the elevators...

-

That had been a year ago... and Henry had never figured out what that nurse had meant.

He pondered it several times, and in the end, he could only guess that she had figured out that Henry had feelings for his neighbor that Eileen was oblivious to. But even if that was the case, Eileen still did acknowledge him as nothing more than a friend. She probably never would, by the way she acted around him...

She had moved to a complex that was only a few blocks away from South Ashfield, which for some reason unknown even to himself, Henry stayed at. He had decided to give it a week when Eileen had returned from the hospital to see if anything was going to happen and Eileen even stayed for the frightening week to see if Walter decided he wasn't through with the Twenty-one Sacraments. They had decided that the second Henry would wake up to see his apartment room the same as it was when he had first moved in, he would call Eileen to make sure nothing had happened overnight. She would report with a relieved voice that nothing unusual or suspicious was heard or seen and after the week was up, Henry made the somewhat reluctant decision to stay within Room 302. She hadn't even tried to talk him out of it and he felt pained that she wouldn't give it fighting chance to try and change his mind. Instead, she just left the day after the week was up to her new housing and Henry was alone once again.

However, a young college student attending Pleasant River named Haley Oren moved into Room 303 two weeks after Eileen had ungraciously left and Henry found her to be surprisingly interesting. She was going into creative writing and journalism, which reminded him much of Joseph but then he learned she didn't have much of an interest for the journalism part. She also liked most of the same music he did and even found herself immersed in a joy for photography much like he was, but she mainly stuck with artwork since half the time her photos came out too dark or too light.

They had even made a 'tradition' to go eat at Ruby Tuesday's and catch a late night movie after she completed an extensive project or term paper for college. When he had told this to Eileen, she teased him about going after younger women and he icily retorted with the fact that Haley was only three years younger than the giggling brunette was. Eileen shut up abruptly afterwards but then her attention quietly heading towards the new man at her office building...

When Haley had first moved in, Henry was desperate for someone to talk to since Eileen was back to her usual social self. He struggled to tell her how easily she was brushing off Walter and what he had put them through, but Eileen just told him to enjoy life because he never knew when a psycho in a coat would come after him. So, taking her advice and armed with a few homemade meals and a determination to find someone to replace Eileen's absence, he introduced himself to her. She had smiled when he presented his house-warming gift and mannerly invited him into her apartment. To his liking, the blood that once stained the floor was no longer there which made the room seem... stunningly normal after the hideous occurrences that had happened there.

They had talked for a while about different topics, such as Frank's strange demeanor, Ashfield as a whole, her college... And after five minutes of conversing with her, he found her to be much like him when he was her age; shy, sensitive, and brilliant. And with that realization, he came to trust her more than Eileen at times...

But despite how close the two had gotten, he had never told her about Walter Sullivan. That was left between him and Eileen Galvin.

Having only met Eileen twice in the year she had lived at South Ashfield, Haley begged Henry to marry Eileen repeatedly, telling him anxiously and all-knowingly that he was so head-over-heels for her that he couldn't see straight at times. While he would blush and stammer whenever she brought it up, he would leisurely tell her that she was too young to understand the 'special' bond between them, but deep down, he knew she was right. Henry had fallen for Eileen during their gruesome journey through the gorse darkness and death of Walter's distorted concoction, but he was so shy... he couldn't even mutter a word to Eileen about love.

Besides, she was seeing someone now... it didn't matter anymore whether he felt undying love or consumable hatred for her. She was out of reach... she loved someone else and he knew that as if it were a heavy burden. He was second best, second-rate... second everything on Eileen's list of important people, in which everyone _but_ him was number one.

He told himself this false fact over and over again that soon he even began to live by it. He deduced that he was nothing more than a protector and friend to Eileen, and that he could never he embrace her lovingly or hold her hand as they walked down the street... or share sweet, passionate kisses. Henry looked back on what he could have had and everyday, he cursed himself for not getting to her before this new man did. Henry hadn't even met him and yet Eileen talked about as if he were the perfect man for her... and each mention of him tore Henry's heart in two... This mystery man was so much greater than the brunet was and Henry wondered whether he should strive for Eileen's affection... but he knew he had nothing to fight back with. This new man was financially stable, powerful, and gentlemanly. He had two things Henry did not have... no, three; he had Eileen.

-

"He'll marry her, you know..."

"I know..."

Haley was sitting on the leather couch of Room 302, finishing the remnants of the chocolate ice cream cone she and Henry had gone for prior to her statement. Before she struck up the conversation, she had fallen on her hands and knees after volleyball practice was over to pathetically plead for him to take her to the store for chocolate ice cream since she was too tired to drive. This lasted several minutes until he aversely gave in to her obnoxious begging when she slyly threatened to call Eileen and tell her of his hidden affection. Now, much to his dislike, she was bringing up the man Henry was greatly envious of...

"You aren't even gonna try, are you?" she scoffed offensively when he put up no defense against her reasoning. There was a bit of wavering hope in her inquiring voice, but both dismissed it entirely when he shrugged his shoulders carelessly. "Why should I?" he protested timidly as he spooned the ice cream into a pale porcelain bowl. When she didn't say anything back, he stole a bite from the carton, savoring the cold treat as it melted in his heated mouth. He waited, and Henry was thankful for the silence she had let slip between them before she broke it by standing up and stomping furiously to the island with her hands gripping her hips tightly.

"You _love _her!" she yelled angrily as she threw up her arms to accentuate her emotional bout, at which he barely reacted to. This wasn't unusual behavior from her; she had a shorter than average fuse that lit at the most trivial of things and Henry found himself being the helpless victim almost everytime her fury dispersed. The best remedy to her outrage was to be quiet and not contradict her on _anything_... but that hardly seemed to work effectively this time around...

Haley, who was mad enough as it was, huffed at his unresponsiveness and reached out to snatch his small carton of ice cream so she could act out her revenge on him. He was too slow to protect it and as he stared in disbelief at her cruelty, she stole his spoon too. He watched her silently as she finished of the pint swiftly without brain freeze before throwing away the container and carelessly tossing the metal spoon in the sink, where it clattered loudly against the glass he had used earlier.

"You know not to mess with me," she said to his dazed expression as she wiped her chin with the sleeve of her indigo sweatshirt. After the dumb look on Henry's face wore off, he noticed her somewhat delicate hands were back on her lithe hips and he chuckled slightly when he heard her heavy dialect come through her fury. Haley absolutely _hated _for someone to pester her about her accent and Henry used that to his advantage often. It was always his 'counter-attack,' as she had called it...

"I hear your _accceeennnt_..." he playfully sung, smiling mockingly and laughing as she impishly attacked his shoulder.

"Bastard..." she muttered as his laughter rang through the room and annoyed her.

"Hey, I'm older than you!" he chuckled as he rubbed his shoulder softly before pointing at her fist which was still raised to attack. "You can't hit me..."

"No _wonder_ Eileen won't date you... _Old man_."

"...Shut up..."

-

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End of Chapter One

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(1):_ 'La Belle Dame sans Merci'- The Beautiful Lady without Pity. It's a poem based on the story of a knight falling in love with an Elven woman and is enslaved for seven years before he breaks her spell. She doesn't love him, though._

Please excuse this horrible chapter... I'm having brain problems... . 

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As for Haley Oren... Like her? Hate her? I tend to like her.

This next bit is to Gaia Faye:

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From: Gaia Faye ( http/ )

I actually couldn't see a bit of slash in this.

That's what I meant for it to be; Non-slash. ****

Your version of the Holy Mother... creeped me out. As did the children under the water wheel. Heebie jeebies, man.

Woo-hoo! I scared somebody! .. I feels special. **__**

When you talk about what made Walter choose each Sacrament, you forget to mention Jasper. But you also don't always pick a trait that associates them with their respective themes.

... I did, didn't I... I couldn't think one up for Jasper, anyway. I didn't realize that I didn't do it right... **__**

Though Walter torturing Henry explains why Henry's body was so disfigured when it was found, I don't understand why Walter prolonged Henry's death. Was it necessary for Henry's will to be broken? And if Walter does revere him, would he really take such pleasure in it instead of just solemnly doing a duty?

:blinks at deepness: Wow... Good questions. Yah, I guess in a way, it was. Walter is, to me, unpredictable. Though he quickly did away with other victims, I feel that he would spend more time on Henry for the 'trouble' he caused. Henry wouldn't go peacefully, so b/c Walter had to go through a lot, he made Henry go through a more extreme punishment. I guess... I really just did it b/c that was the idea in my mind. I actually wanted for Walter to cut open Henry's chest and sort of play with his heart, but that would have been extreme.

I would guess that the 'revere' thing comes from Henry's ability to defy odds. The way Henry kept most of his sanity probably intrigued Walter. Basically the 'duty' part, I guess is the fact that he DID finish the 21 Sacraments.

(I really have no idea what I'm saying...)

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I don't think the Order meant to kill the children in the tower. I think there's a memo in the game that says that the moisture in the air or something actually warped the doors so that they couldn't get some of the cells open anymore. So I don't think it has anything to do with the children being corrupt. If you'd like to say differently in your story, make it clear whether Walter just doesn't care about them or thinks they deserve it because they wouldn't accept the cult's teachings.

This is one of those moments where I hide b/c I'm too scared to play the game farther than I have. :shudders: I really didn't realize I had it the way I did. I sorta of figured that I had it where if a child died by some unknown cause, they would be thrown down the waterwheel to conceal what happened. I sorta don't remember how I had it. O.o **__**

I'm also not sure why Walter would leave the apartment (his mother's side) so quickly just to make sure that Henry's ghost was around. Or why the Holy Mother decided to adopt a new son and kill her old one.

... I have no idea. It seemed like a good idea. I sorta hoped that the story would make it seem that after a while, Walter noticed that he hadn't seen Henry's ghost around and the last place he thought of was Room 302. :shrugs: Why would she take Henry as her son and kill her other one? Your guess is as good as mine. I actually did not intend for Henry to be the new 'son.' He was just supposed to be trapped in the Holy Mother's song. Walter's fate was originally to be trapped, too... but I don't know... The killing thing just seemed a bit more... unexpected. **__**

This is fairly well written, with just some spelling errors here and there. I would also tell you to be more careful with your word choices, but I suppose that's really more about personal preference than anything else.

... That's what my teacher says about my wording.  
**  
I feel like I'm saying a lot of negative things, but I assure you that I did like this.**

I don't mind; creative criticism is the best kind of review I could ask for. I feel like I responded negatively. I'm fascinated how she could like my stories...  
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	2. Bittersweet, I Can Taste in My Mouth

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I have returned... Tee hee!

This oughta be fun...

All right, to the reviewers!

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diddly day: Yay! I like the couple too... There's not many HxE stories out there, but then again, there's not that many SH4 stories either. You never know with Eileen... As for your question about Haley, yes, there is a lot of me in her. The volleyball, creative writing, chocolate ice-cream, her being brunette... most of her likes, dislikes, hobbies are mine. The only thing that's really different is her age and physical features, though I am brunette with brown eyes. Also, our names aren't the same. I wanted to give her my first name... but... nah. Also, I never meant to threaten you... Sorry. I can take a good bit of creative criticism, so don't worry! Thanks!

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SaddenedSoul: I am not harming SH:TOWCE. I meant that if I didn't have the original characters, then Cynthia and Richard or someone would have to magically appear from nowhere for the plot to work out. But... you are due for a kick::kicks:I want the Walter dummy::smashes Pipe into wall: IwantitIwantitIwantit! Also, I can't just **run** _from teh ghosties! ... It's too much fun hitting Victim 13..._

:laughs: Henry does, he will... and she won't. Thanks.

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Gaia Faye: Shy Henry is the best Henry... though I can see him doing the chicken dance in front of a million people. Haley is basically there to be an anti-Eileen, but at the same time, be the match-maker.

As for PR and South Ashfield, I'm lazy. Also, I knew that... Haley has a Southern accent, another attribute of mine and I think she shall come from the lovely state of Georgia. Now, why is she up North? She has family up in Pleasant River, but she decided that Ashfield would be a better place to live. Why? You'll have to wait and see...Cotton... Ha! No, I will not start a flame war with diddly day. ... I like her story too much. I've never flamed anybody either to my knowledge... Thanks for the review!

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Question: Why on EARTH do you three know what the other said in their review? It scared me...

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Literary Alchemist: Room of Angel: Thanks!

Sanguine Insanity: I wouldn't say ALL Americans have no sense of irony. I know I have none. Glad you liked my stories! Thanks!

The Hardest Part: Thanks!

Okay... !Warnings! Spoilers, possible language... evil, and all that jazz.

I do not own anything from SILENT HILL; the lovely people at Konami does though. Nor do I own 'The Hardest Part,' which is sung by Coldplay. Their album rocks...

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The Hardest Part

Chapter Two: Bittersweet, I Could Taste in My Mouth

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"I want you to meet my boyfriend, Henry. I think you and him would get along!"

Why was this so difficult?

Henry winced at the hurt that sparked through his heart as he clutched the phone tightly, his breath quivering slightly as Eileen waited happily for some type of response from him. He couldn't even think... he was in absolute _shock_ that Eileen would have the _audacity_ to ever suggest this new man and Henry meeting. It was enough to be shunned away by the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, but to hear that she wanted them to actually see each other _personally_... Henry could have sworn tears were prickling threateningly at his emerald eyes... it ached so heavily in his chest...

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"Henry?"

How _dare _she... How _could _she... his thoughts all melded together like liquid being stirred so maliciously as he thought of the many ways to escape, but he was too sick at his stomach... He had the sudden to urge to throw up... to expel of his insides so heavily that he might choke and die... he could leave this miserable life... He wouldn't have to hear about 'Brad Caulns' and how much greater he was than himself... how perfect he was for Eileen...

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"Are you all right, Henry?"

Why him?

"Y-yeah... I'm fine... That'd... be nice..."

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"Really? Ah!" she squealed joyously and he pulled the phone away from his ear to keep his hearing around for a few more minutes though his eardrum still rung... _"Oh, maybe you could bring Haley!"_

Henry flinched at the image of Haley near this Brad-guy before shuddering in fear. Oh, _God_, that was the **_last_** thing he needed...

A **_happy_** Brad and Eileen plus a **_sad_** Henry equals one **_Hell_** of a pissed off Southern belle... it was nothing more than simple arithmetic, really. Easy as one, two, three... Now, why couldn't Eileen see that the equation meant trouble for _all _of them?

"I could," he replied meekly. "I'll have to see if she doesn't have classes..." He tapped his fingers against the phone, hoping that she would pick a date where Haley would have to go to Pleasant River University for the day and wouldn't be back until nightfall with a _whole_ lot of work to do. Or maybe she would pick a day where she would have to work at Books-A-Million... or go see family... or do _something_ that would take time away from the

He could hope...

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"How's the twenty-first sound?" she asked obliviously, unaware of the importance of the date's number. He heard her pen scribble against a piece of paper as she waited but he found that he couldn't right off the bat...

In fact, Henry had stopped all motion and the room became quiet aside from his short breaths. He could feel it... that nerve was on its last stand... It was pummeled by thoughts and evil memories until finally, deep inside, that tiny nerve snapped... so deep inside of his mind... He couldn't think for a long second, his mind going off into an eerie ebony mist where nothing was heard or seen... but something about hearing that... num...ber... it... sc...ared... h...im...

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"Receiver of Wisdom... Twenty-first Sacrament..."

His vision flickered darkness and crimson as his mind flashed treacherous memories of decayed monsters and gore and rust encrusted everywhere around him... Corpse-like ghosts hovered along the putrid air, searching for a victim to appease their anger on while wandering their eternal Hell. A disfigured doll in a wheelchair asking for its lost parts so that it could prepare for the Receiver of Wisdom... Eileen possessed, walking straight to her death with dark violet veins crisscrossing on her injured skin... It was all too much to take and to add to his horrific dilemma, the smell of burning flesh met his nostrils and he lurched forward, his throat burning as acidic blood spilled from his mouth. The sound of him vomiting sanguine alerted Eileen enough to knock her out of her peaceful trance to realize that something was wrong with her friend.

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"Henry! What's wrong!"

He gasped then choked on his words as blood slipped heavily from his mouth and onto his torso and the carpet, staining both wretchedly. He trembled and as his eyes hazed over, he felt another presence in the room with him... just behind him... looming there... waiting to kill him... waiting to finish what He had started... Henry began to pant in fear of the malicious presence and from the bodily malfunctions he was dealing with. He clutched the bed-sheets tightly as his body was wracked with anguish and his head began to feel heavy as his nausea heightened. He wouldn't last much longer...

"I-I... Eileen... He-help...He's--!"

His body and mind had finally taken enough abuse and Henry's body fell to the floor with a loud thud as he fainted from the extremity of the ghastly remembrances plaguing his fragile mind. Eileen's frantic shouts echoed throughout the room from the telephone, unaware of _His_ insane grin. The shadow-like presence loomed about the room, watching his prey and listening to the woman's panicked shrills before He found Himself staring down at the unconscious man by his feet. He knelt down, letting his calloused and grimy fingers caress the man's neck as His other hand delved into His coat pocket before drawing out a small knife.

"One step closer..."

-

Haley was not in a good mood...

She had a term paper due in the morning... she had to go to work in thirty minutes... and now, Eileen calls to ask her if she would come with Henry to meet Brad _before _telling her that Henry had a 'weird episode' or something like that before he fainted...

The brunette had no idea why Henry loved a senseless, ignorant woman like Eileen...

So, here she was, rushing out the door to run into Room 302 to see if Henry was okay. ... God only knows how much _trouble _it would be for Eileen to do it herself with her little boyfriend waiting for her. She was lucky that Haley didn't let out her frustration on her... In fact, many little defamatory names entered her mind menacingly as she quickly opened Henry's door... But that wasn't terribly important right then.

Panting slightly, she turned right and reaching the end of the hallway before turning the knob to the bedroom and thrusting forward to see if...

Once the sight registered, she screamed.

Henry was sprawled carelessly on his stomach with dried blood covering his chin as his head laid in the blood-soaked carpet. In one limp hand, Haley could see the white plastic of the phone, which scratched the deathly tense air with its electronic beeping. She brought a pale hand to her shivering lips as she approached his body slowly; afraid of finding whatever caused this incident. When no person or thing came out from the shadows, she fell to her knees to turn Henry over on his back.

She grabbed his farthest shoulder with her shaking hands before pulling it toward her, her erratic breath accompanying his soft groan as she effectively turning him over.

Nothing seemed wrong expect for the blood all over his rough chin and bland shirt and she sighed as she placed a hand to her chest, thankful that he was all right. Haley, however, took no chances after her relieved moment was over and began to look over his body for anything out of place. Her fingers slid through his hair softly, checking for any knots he might have gotten from his fall to the floor but she found none, which made her sigh once more. Then, her nimble hands glided down to his neck where she felt something freshly carved into the juncture between his shoulder, just under the collar of his shirt...

She traced the wound, mouthing out what she sketched with the now ensanguined pads of her long, white fingers...

..._21121..._

Confusion etched across her brow and she began to look around for the object that could have cut into Henry's flesh. Haley was sure that she would have something, but she found nothing truly dangerous around his bedroom and she could only safely assume someone had come in and done this crime before rushing out with the weapon in hand.

Humming a tune, the brunette placed her hand over the phone and set it back on the hook, stopping the incessant ringing that annoyed her to the quick before getting Henry onto his bed and heading to the bathroom to wet a washcloth to wash his face with.

As she entered the bedroom again, the phone rang. She was sure it was Eileen checking to see if Henry was all right and Haley had already come up with a few good words to tell the older woman with. She answered the telephone before sitting on the bed beside Henry and wiping the blood off of his chin.

"Hello?"

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"Anti... A-Anti..."

The voice was nothing like Eileen's, nor did it sound anything like a human's. To Haley, the person on the other line was something similar to a snake...

"Um... there's no 'Anti-'"

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"AntiSacrament... He looks for you..."

Haley became quiet, her chocolate-colored eyes widening at this unknown person's strange statement. It's breathing became harsh wheezes and she shuddered as if a piece of ice fell down her back, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the phone. She began to stutter, unsure of what she was saying, but needing to place her mind on something. "Wh-who's looking f-for--?"

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"You are His enemy...You hurt Him... You fight against Him...You must die..."

The dial tone followed those horrendous words and Haley sat frozen for several moments, her heart racing along with her mind, which was trying to come up with a meaning to the voice's statements.

-

Eileen didn't call for the rest of the day, and Haley was still tending to Henry, who had gained consciousness about an hour after the mysterious phone call. She didn't burden him with the conversation she had after she had found him, but she did get on to him about scaring her to death...

"Like I was supposed to know that I would throw up blood and pass out today?"

She was about to retort back from her place in front of the stove, but she held it in as her mind went back to the numbers on Henry's neck. He hadn't mentioned them, so she was sure that he didn't know about them. But now, she was curious about the phone call and the numbers, and she felt it in her place to find out. But not right now... not while she was taking care of him.

So, she let her mind drift from curiosity to anger.

"Eileen isn't going to call back."

Emerald orbs blinked at her, and she knew he was thinking about the conversation between himself and the woman in question. Haley wanted Henry to be happy, she really did... she just thought that Eileen wasn't the person he would be happy with. Eileen was outgoing and laid-back where Henry was quiet and shy along with being serious. They just didn't seem to match as a couple, but the younger brunette had to get them together _some _how... for Henry's sake. Speaking of Henry...

"How bad did you want to kill this guy when she talked about him?"

She turned her head and through her slightly obscured vision, she saw the damage Eileen and her new boyfriend had done to him emotionally. The college student sighed sadly, wishing that there were some way to cheer up Henry when he was like this, but there was nothing to do be done about it. Leaving him alone to wallow in his own grief was about the best anyone could do... and Haley hated doing that to him. If sweets made him happy, she would bake endlessly for him; if just talking about it did the trick, she would give up her precious time to sit there and discuss what was ailing his heart... But nothing worked. Henry was just one of those people who didn't want to talk or find comfort in eating twelve pounds of baked goods... He was complex; a difficult puzzle that needed to be put together soon or else he would harm himself mentally, emotionally, and physically, but try as she might, she couldn't breach his seemingly fragile surface... Whenever she tried, it would sustain itself, slightly quiver, and then still itself as it protected him from anyone that wanted to know his problems.

But he would have to deal with her worrisome behavior until she was sure she could leave him by himself.

"I didn't want to kill him," he answered quietly as his fingers fidgeted while she stirred the stew she was cooking in her pot. The loud crackle of grease against battered chicken took away the desired silence as she deposited the breaded poultry into the hot skillet and Henry stood up from his place on the couch and came over to sit in one of the stools at the island. He stared at her with a longing gaze as she continued to cook dinner for the both of them and a drifting thought slithered to his attention.

"Why can't I fall in love with you?"

She gasped as the porcelain bowl she had in her grasp almost fell though some of its contents dropped onto the white tiled floor. Exhaling her relief, she placed the dish onto the counter before heading over to the sink to wet a rag to wipe up the mess. He watched her the whole while, waiting for her to answer, but she was obviously eluding the question, because the second the floor was impeccably clean, she was back to tending to the food.

"Answer me, Haley..." he said grimly, indicating his serious as he lowered his head for his eyes to be shaded by his long, brunet bangs. Despite his impatient tone, however, she stayed silent as she opened the nearest cabinet to retrieve a new, smaller bowl to ladle some of the beef stew into it for him. Stepping to him, she carefully placed the dark blue bowl before him and as she tried to walk away, he grabbed her wrist harshly. She shrieked abruptly and through her own bangs, gazed at him with apprehension and shock.

She tried to pull herself away from his grip, but he held strong, watching her with solemn, lonely orbs of verdant. "L-let me go, Henry..." she whispered as she yielded by letting her head fall. He shook his head sadly, slackening his grasp enough to gently draw her closer to him.

"_Tell _me..."

She slowly tilted her head enough to show him her tears, and he noticed her eyes darted to his left shoulder. He tensed when her over hand touched said shoulder, but he did nothing to stop her. Her body trembled before falling against him in a wail of melancholy and anxiety, her arms wrapping around his neck as he coiled his around her waist. "I-I can't... _be _her, Henry... You love _her, _not _me_..."

Rubbing her back contentedly, he whispered lovingly into her ear; "I know that... And I'm sorry..."

"You _scared_ me, you heartless jerk! When she called to _leisurely_ tell me that you had collapsed! She acted as if you had just stopped talking! 'Can you go check on Henry? He's having problems...' If she cares for you as she _says _or _acts _or whatever she does to make you think you have a chance, she sure didn't show it then! She didn't even hear anyone else that could have cut those numbers into you!"

All sadness and passion was cast aside at her last sentence and Henry jerked away from her enough to glare into her eyes in cold, undisguised fear.

"What numbers?"

She sniffled and she sobbed pathetically as he shook her slightly, demanding an answer from her. Quickly shaking her youthful head, her hair flinging itself everywhere at her emotional outbreak, she inhaled the air around them deeply through her lips in an attempt to calm herself down. It worked, thankfully, and she composed herself enough to mumble a reply to him. "When I came to make sure you hadn't died or something... I check your shoulders for any wounds... I found freshly cut numbers in your neck..."

"What are they?"

"21121, I think..."

She went on telling him about the phone call she had gotten afterwards, but he was too shocked to do anything but stare at her, his disbelief showing all over his handsome features.

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'He can't be alive... can he?'

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End of Chapter Two

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I know, I know... I didn't put Eileen's boyfriend in her, but I did put his name in there! Oh, yeah... the AntiSacrament thing... This is something I have been working on for a while... When I mean 'while,' I mean that I thought up the idea about four months ago. I went all and out with the AntiSacrament idea, and my Xanga account is 'AntiSacrament.' It might be a little chopped up, and maybe its a little confusing and stupid, but I do intend to make it somewhat understandable. If I don't... sorry.


	3. I Wonder What It's All About

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Hi again! Now, on to teh reviews!1

diddly day: Well... if it wasn't for Henry, I wouldn't be doing this story, nor would I have done any of my other stories. Heh. About Haley and Eileen 'abandoning' Henry... at first, it was just to show Eileen as a bit of a less favorable person, but as I saw the reviews... I decided that Eileen 'isn't quite feeling like herself.' _You'll find out why in later chappies. Yes, Haley is **somewhat** in love with Henry, but she'll find someone else later on. I don't mind creative criticism; I think that's the best thing a person can say to an author other than telling them they liked the story. I'm so HAPPY I creeped you out! Thanks!_

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Literary Alchemist: Thanks! Gaia can be scary... :hides:

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Gaia Faye: ... No, I don't. Hmm. Like I said in the response to **diddly day**, I didn't mean to at first, but then I realized how I could use this bit of a out-of-characterness to my advantage. Brad doesn't really influence her about the call to Haley, but Brad does take away her attention. Another advantage that came to me today; the relationship between Haley and Henry, considering how... I don't know. That will probably be explained later on. The numbers on Henry are those lovely little numbers that were **supposed **be cut into him when he was killed, but that never happened, did it? However, there will be a new set of numbers in this chapter. ... :laughs at Brad-comment and legos:

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SaddenedSoul: ... Some advice: **Take a chill pill before you see, hear, taste, touch, or smell anything to do with Walter. **... But I got cocoa puffs... Don't remind me! ... Ebil Cynthia!

You know the warnings... Spoiler, mainly.

Eileen, Henry, and everything else except for Haley, Brad, and the 'AntiSacrament' deal belongs to Konami. 'The Hardest Part' is a song sung by Coldplay.

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The Hardest Part

Chapter Three: I Wonder What It's All About...

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"Do we _have _to do this...?"

"Yes, Haley."

The young brunette glared at her companion contemptibly as Henry turned the steering wheel of his car to the right. He was aggravated, worried, but overall, he was nervous. After the 'incident,' Henry found himself on the edge of his nerves every waking moment of the day, jumping at the smallest of noises and calling Haley every hour or so to make sure she was okay. At first, Haley enjoyed the thought of Henry worrying about himself and about her, but after the third day, it wasn't so 'breakthrough-ish' anymore. She began to get irritated with him more and more until one day she called Eileen and asked her to call Henry since she hadn't spoken to him since the 'incident'...

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"But, Haley... I don't remember calling Henry... I didn't even know something had happened to him..."

She had sounded so timid and scared... asked her how he was doing and if there was anything she could do. Being polite, the college student told her everything was taken and found out that the date Eileen had planned for them to meet up was actually the twenty-fourth. However, Haley didn't truly believe her, but after thinking about what all had occurred that day, she was ready to forgive and forget since Henry didn't want to go meet Eileen and Brad alone. He had at first, however, tried to talk her out of joining him to the restaurant to see them, but he let it go after she proclaimed that he might need help if he had another 'attack.'

Besides... Henry wanted to keep a close eye on Haley.

After explaining the nice little phone call she received after finding Henry facedown in his own blood, Henry was stressing over her safety more than he ever had. Every little thing she did, he wanted to make sure she would be all right no matter what. He called her cell phone often, along with secretly following her whenever she went to the store for something. Hell, even if she was in his apartment with him, he checked around the room for anyone or anything that could cause them both harm, though Haley didn't exactly relish this new overprotectiveness he had picked up really out of nowhere.

But she would have to deal with it until he figured out what this 'AntiSacrament' thing meant. He had never even heard of it, and yet he was sure it had something to do with Walter, since '21121' was found carved into the side of his neck, but he wasn't sure what the connection was. He scoured the notes and scraps of paper he found throughout his ordeal, but none of them mentioned it. ... For all he knew, it could be someone to fight along with the Sacraments and destroy Walter's 'lovely little nightmare'; it could be someone that chops of the ghosts of the victims to little pieces so they don't have to wander the purgatory-like worlds for the rest of eternity... It could be someone to take out his trash, but he wasn't going to take any chances... not with Walter having _something _to do with it.

He spared a glance over to Haley, who was brushing off her shoulders and picking the lint off of her black blouse. He smiled half-heartedly at her, feeling somewhat lost. She was young... _too _young and innocent to be part of any new ritual Walter had up his sleeve... that is, if he _was _still alive. But then again... he had killed Billy and Miriam Locane, so Haley was up for the metallic chopping block just like everyone else. Just like he and Eileen were...

And it was that knowledge that forced Henry to 'tighten up on her,' as she had so _cleverly _put it.

Scuffling her feet against the rubber mat on the floorboard of his car, Haley touched the fogged window and watched as the gray clouds rolled across the sky sluggishly and let out the rain around the city of Ashfield. She sighed, bored out of her mind before her delicate fingers began to trace childish images of cats and bunnies before she began to draw smiley faces and her name over her prior. She smiled blissfully, remembering her younger years when her mother would drive her to elementary school and she would trace pictures into the misted window of the back seat as she spoke excitedly of the school day yet to come. Her mother would look back at her and kindly beam at her, telling her how much she loved her...

But then... that seemed to change...

The memory became fuzzy and distorted, dark colors splashing across the cheerful face of her mother as her other hand gripped the cream-colored armrest tautly as her breathing became heavy. Scenes of bloodied corpses floating about a rusted and gory hallway, moaning incoherent sounds as they twitched. Disfigured dogs and double-headed monsters lashed out at her, screeching and roaring at her invasion of their mental world. Corroded gears churned reluctantly... dark, steel hallways flickered before her as a little boy watched her with a strange smile on his deceptively sweet countenance. Trees towered above her... an old, badly kept house whispered and chanted of manipulated version of God... Numbers... oh, so many numbers seeped into her frightened mind as the walls seemed to lash out of her through their flesh-like surface and ensanguined handprints mysteriously faded onto the gray wall.

Finally, her eyes became dark as she saw a blond-haired mans back facing her as he stared down a circular corridor before he turned his head to look over his shoulder at her, his schizophrenic grin chilled her to the bone. His eyes glinted maliciously as he twisted fully to face her, his azure coat shifting with his slow movement before waiting a moment and rushing over to her with a knife that seemed to have come from nowhere only to stab her in her abdomen. She recoiled weakly, jerking forward as her body shook coldly at the vision she was having of her own death as she watched him through a grainy, wavering picture carve psychotic numbers into her upper chest... just below her neck...

21221...

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"My AntiSacrament..."

She flailed, screaming as she saw he moved down to lick the top curve of the first '2' and Henry gasped in horror as he managed to park the car safely without wrecking into anyone in the process. He faintly heard honking and screeching of brakes behind him, but he did not heed them as he hastily undid his seat belt to move closer to her screeching form. "Haley! Haley, what's wrong!" he yelled loudly, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her out of her terrible fit. She clutched herself to him, wailing noisily as tears cascaded down her pale cheeks.

Once she had quieted down, he began inquire the meaning behind her sudden episode.

"What happened?" he asked soothingly as she rubbed her face against his shoulder. She choked, crying as she hiccuped through her sore throat. "I... d-don't know... I had this... vis-vision-!" she squealed desperately as she pushed him away roughly and bringing her hands up to her pursed lips. She flopped her head into her palms as she shook with terror at the thought she had just recently while Henry watched her with scared eyes. She had terrified him with her almost insane spasms and he was _sure _they would have gotten into a gruesome wreck had he not been on the edge, expecting something to happen. He placed a hand on her quivering shoulder and began to rub it through the ebony blouse. "Tell me what you saw..." he whispered comfortingly, edging closer to her in case she decided to go crazy again.

"At first... oh, never mind!" she hissed frustratedly as she slammed her dainty fists into the dashboard. He winced slightly before trying to get out the truth from her. She seemed hesitant, replying that he would think she needed to go see a 'freakin' shrink,' but he assured her he had seen his fair share of weird stuff and that he wouldn't treat her any different. Her tears had thankfully stopped and her breathing returned to normal as she tried to compile the recent sights she had seen in her mind.

"There were these... dead people... _floating_... and then there were zombie-like dogs and Siamese twins with huge hands... corridors... like in a prison... A forest... Numbers... handprints... oh, God... children were saying some freaky mess... And then there was this guy in a coat-"

"A _what?_" he yelled angrily, making her jump while he was unable to believe her for a moment before the information all sunk in. It couldn't be... she _couldn't _have any knowledge of Walter... He couldn't be after her, too... why would he be interested in her death also?

"A-a man... in a dark blue coat... attacked me and... cut numbers into me..."

"What were they?" he asked tensely, his free hand gripping the hem of his shirt as he desperately begged for the numbers to not be what he thought they would be. _'Don't be part of the Twenty-one Sacraments... Please, God... don't let her be-!'_ he thought as she spoke the number. God didn't seem to hear his pleading..."21221... I'm pretty sure..."

He stared at her, dumbfounded by her response. His hand fell limply from her shoulder to hit the side of his seat. Fear mixed together with disbelief in his eyes as they watched her with their emerald gaze and she noticed he had stopped breathing.

"Henry?" she waved a hand in his face now that her concern was off of her own problems. He sighed grimly in response, his eyes gaining a little bit of warmth as his chest slowly moved with his rhythmic breathing. Letting her own hand fall, looked down at the alcove between the seats before raising her head and wondered if he was all right to drive... she decided he wasn't, considering he hasn't moved an inch.

"Henry? Do I need to drive?"

He blinked before nodding, hardly thinking as she opened her door to walk over to the driver's side while he moved over to her prior seat. While putting on his seat belt, he glimpsed into the mirror to see the man in the blue coat grinning at him as he stood behind the car. He blinked, and Walter was gone.

He heard her turn on the radio, a song and her soft singing drifting into his ears as he leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes for the remainder of the trip.

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Henry had fallen asleep on the short way left to the restaurant and had been shaken awake by Haley, who had gained back her color and amiable composure as she smiled at him and told him they were going to meet 'the Bastard.' He had hardly chuckled at her comment while he undid his seat belt to get out of the car.

Once he shut shiny, dark teal car, he looked around the parking lot to find Haley waiting for him at the sidewalk of the restaurant, her arms crossed across her chest as she shivered in the New England air. Her right foot was tapping the pavement impatiently, and he could tell she wanted to get it all over with as quickly as she could. Heeding this, he went over to her, casually walking across the roadway with his hands in his coat pockets while his heart began to beat faster with each step he took. The feeling was almost euphoric as he stepped onto the gray concrete along with the college student who was proceeding to the gold-framed door and grasping the handle lightly before turning back and saying his name.

... He was going to see Eileen... with _Brad..._

"Henry... c'mon..."

He was going to watch the woman he loved... love another...

"Henry...!"

He felt... dizzy... nervous... _stupid..._

"Henry Townshend!"

He heard a soft growl of frustration and then felt a hand wrap around his wrist and pull him towards the doors to the restaurant, her hair flowing on the icy zephyr that gently blew against them. He became fixated on the strands of chocolate dancing along the breeze, the gray sky tinting the hair darker than want it usually was. They reached the entrance and walked through the doors to a lavish and expensive-looking room filled with antique furniture and dim lighting. The dark, rich colors hinted each other elegantly and Henry felt his stomach fall farther down the dark pit. There was _no way_ he could afford at least one appetizer in a place like this, just by the looks alone. ... How was he _and _Haley supposed to pay for a meal here?

While Henry stared in awe at the luxurious cabaret, Haley spoke with a waiter and forced him to follow the waiter to the table where they were supposed to meet Eileen and Brad at, only to find the table empty. The brunette showed her anger by huffing and flopping herself down into a cherry-wood chair and crossed her arm hatefully while muttering curses. Henry, however, sat himself down quietly and passed the time by looking over the wine choices. After groaning in despair at the prices, he set the pamphlet down and picked up the menu, but found himself putting that one aside too.

"What's the cheapest?" she grumbled furiously.

"Well... let's just say that we probably need to _split _a meal," he answered stressfully as he ran his hand through his hair before placing his elbow on the table and holding up head. He felt tired now and he was sure that pigs would fly before Haley let Eileen live her 'betrayal' down.

"Henry! Haley!"

Both of them raised their heads to find a smiling Eileen coming over to them and giggling happily as she approached. Henry sluggishly stood from his chair to hug his dear friend while Haley forced a smile at the man following close behind older brunette... he seemed... _dissatisfying_ to Haley, like he wasn't enjoying being there at _all_ but came anyway to prove some kind of point that she had missed. He gave her a snobby smirk and Haley mocked a laugh. She had been prepared for this ever since she first learned of him... But for some odd reason or the other, she found himself gritting her teeth harder than she should have, and she felt her fists clenching together in a hidden rage that seemed to bloom out of nowhere. She was mad and annoyed, yes... but it shouldn't have been that extreme... she shouldn't be tempestuously raging inside...

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"Kill him, AntiSacrament... kill the Heretic... He'll harm Mother..."

Gasping, she twisted her head left and right swiftly in panic as she looked for the source of the low, stoic voice she had just heard. Everyone around was quietly talking or laughing at something that didn't concern a mysterious voice and once more the man in the coat came to her mind. Haley turned back to Henry, who was being introduced to Brad by a giddy Eileen.

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"... She's ignorant and naïve... The Receiver loves her and yet she shuns him for the Heretic..."

Nodding slightly, she hypnotically watched the three talk together for a moment before shakily standing up herself and stepping towards them.

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"And once he is dead... and the ritual is completed... we can be together... My AntiSacrament..."

She forced a smile at Eileen, who pulled her towards the group to introduce her to Brad when she felt the cold breath of the voice against her mentality, blue-clothed arms wrapping around her soul. The older brunette's words were muffled as if someone had pressed their hands against her ears and her expression remained emotionless as she reluctantly listened to the deathly whispers of this unknown man...

But never did she try to stop him...

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"I'm here for You... Trust in Me... And soon, the Receiver will be happy..."

-

The day had gone rather smoothly since the voice went away and Haley found herself able to react again to her environment, but unfortunately, Henry wasn't having the best time. The younger brunette wasn't either, considering she didn't much like the fact that Brad and Eileen acted like newlyweds around them and that Henry was on the verge of expressing his distress and depression to the entire world if something didn't happen soon. And what made it worse was that the blond was noticing this and was using it to make Henry feel like dirt. Haley knew she had to do something stop that sneer 'gracing' those almost flawless features soon or else Henry would have a emotional breakdown, but she had no idea was to do. She felt that she needed to confide into the voice for some odd reason, but she relented, feeling His presence inside of her as it curled around her mind being enough for her to take.

When she saw their food coming, Haley was relieved when Henry straightened from his slouching position and showed interest in something other than being miserable. But it didn't last long, and the brunet was back to being his moping self. And yet, neither of the lovebirds had noticed his down mood. But, thankfully, the rest of the lunch had gone without trouble and Henry looked grateful when Brad had said he had to get to work.

"Where do you work at?" Haley asked rather quietly, though she truly didn't care.

The platinum blond grinned snobbishly at her once more, answering in his low, silky voice that he was a hotel manager. She grind her teeth together once more, but held down her temper as his ice-blue eyes flickered in amusement at her, as if he could tell just by movement that she was prepared to slit his throat with the steak-knife just laying just in front of her on the table...

He didn't tempt her, however, and after he paid for both his and Eileen's food, he kissed her good-bye and walked towards the exit. As Henry and Haley watched him go, they could still feel the smug ambiance that seemed to saturate his being.

Both of them turned to Eileen as she sighed lovingly, her head resting on her head as she was whisked away wistfully. Haley's left eye twitched at the irritating sound as she heard again and she saw Henry sadly poke at the remnants of his food.

Now would have been the time for the Voice to come back and say something to prove Himself on her side, but He stayed quiet, though she felt him kiss her mind's cheek affectionately.

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"My AntiSacrament..."

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End of Chapter Three

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I am SO sorry this took so long... I've been busy this week and this week should be just as busy. I'll try to get the fourth chapter up soon...

Review!


	4. Everything I Do, It Just Comes Undone

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Here we go again...

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Gaia Faye: ... I really meant for their to be less interaction because lil' Haley was too busy dealing with the 'Voice inside her head.' I wanted to focus on her new problem a bit more, but you're right; there could have been more interaction... But, if we had done it **you're **way... then Brad wouldn't be a problem anymore, would he? _Hopefully, it will turn out that Henry and Haley can figure ALL this out before the 'plan' is complete. ... It's supposed to be 'head on hand'... I have a tendency to do that... (Yes, you are.)_

P.S. I like Teacher Alice; don't be discouraged. (I meant to put that in my review of your latest chapter, but forgot to do it.)

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SaddenedSoul: Yes, WS is concocting a new plan in our Southern girl's mind. "..." (ß response to 'Walter' comment). I did rush this, but I wanted to get this up before two weeks had passed.

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diddly day: I noticed that ya'll were happy when I made up the 'I was mysteriously possessed that day' excuse for Eileen's behavior. You can actually blame Henry for getting me into the Silent Hill games. He's was my first and is still my all favorite from the games. I have NO idea why I make it like Haley and Henry are going to be a couple; that's just the way it comes out. I guess it's because later on, there will be a bit of a factor playing into their relationship, since, you know... the 'Voice' is now around to torment and murder. Haley will go for someone else, but until then I'll try to make better interaction between Eileen and Henry. You'll have to see about Walter... (I'm so happy I creep you out! You should read **Room of Angel**... I think that's the creepiest thing I've ever done...)

P.S. Is that twenty-year-old girl that helped out Henry when Eileen had her regular nightmare the character that's based on you?

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DaLilMoomba: Heh. Eileen's reaction was explained in the third chapter, but Brad won't be going anywhere for a while... neither will Walter...

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Higashikaze: Oh, well, I'm glad mine was the first you ever read. Thanks. Yes, poor Henry... and Eileen has her reasons... I think everybody likes Haley... I'm not sure. Hey, don't feel bad about not beating the game... :glares over to SH4 game: EVIL SUBWAY! If it weren't for the ghosts, that thing would be beaten...

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Ah, I think we know the main warning: Spoilers. There's also a little bit of **insanity**... :anonymous music: DUN DUN DUN!

Henry, Eileen, Walter and anybody else or any place in this story is not mine; they are owned by Konami.

Haley, Brad, '21221' or 'AntiSacrament' are owned by me.

'The Hardest Part' is owned by Coldplay.

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The Hardest Part

Chapter Four: Everything I Do, It Just Comes Undone

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Henry felt like he was choking. He felt as if the sky was falling down on his shoulders and he was forced to hold it up so it wouldn't come crashing onto the Earth below. His chest constricted as he tapped his fingers nervously against the wall as he rung the doorbell again, waiting tensely for the resident to open her door. He could soon hear muffled footsteps behind the door he was staring into, he gulped down a breath and hoped he wouldn't screw this up... The doorknob turned with a click and the door opened up before the woman realized who he was. "Henry!" came a joyful sigh as arms wrapped around his neck and pulled him into a friendly hug.

"... Hey, Eileen..." he mumbled bashfully while bringing his hand up to pat her lightly on her left shoulder. She giggled sweetly as she pulled back to look at his rough, handsome countenance when she noticed he had a white bag in his other hand hanging heavily in his grip. She blinked at it before tilting her head up to eye him curiously as if she wanted to ask if it was for her. Seeing her cute expression gazing up at him, he chuckled shyly as he shifted the bag to his free hand. "... Happy Birthday..." he whispered as a light blush tinged his cheeks, which Eileen saw. "Aw... Thanks, Henry..." she said gratefully as she leaned upward to kiss him lightly on the cheek, which deepened the heat on his face. Placing her hands on her hips, she smirked at him knowingly.

"I don't recall ever telling you when my birthday is..."

"Um..." He scratched at the back on his head, letting the feel of his brunet hair beneath his fingertips help his decision and quell the butterflies fluttering lazily about in his stomach. "... Haley has a class with a guy that knows you cousin. She found out from him and told me because... I sort of... asked her to help me find out," he replied as he looked over towards the end of the hallway from the corner of his eyes, unable to meet with those wonderful emerald orbs...

"Well... what did you get me?" she asked excitedly, clasping her hands together and turning to go back inside. He followed suit, wandering like a lost, lovesick puppy behind her and closing the door behind him silently. He stood in the middle of the joint kitchen, dining room, and living room, gazing at everything with a circumspection precision and admiring Eileen's decorating skills. Pink was obviously her favorite color just by glancing at the pink-floral on white wallpaper she had on the walls and the light pink curtains, but she never over accentuated it and Henry was thankful for that since he couldn't stand too much of the color himself.

Eileen coughed slightly and Henry turned his attention towards her position at his right side. She was smiling at him again and her eyes held a sincere loveliness that made Henry want to blurt out his feelings by their sunlit beauty. She seemed ethereal in the sun-bathed living room and he felt his heart swell at the joy of her just being near him to the point where it might burst apart with happiness. He had felt this feeling before when their eyes had _truly _met... when they were able to learn about the horrid events that had occurred in their apartment building. He recalled finding her at the Hospital Walter had reformed to his own will and how horrible she had appeared... veins sprouting along her body, dirty bandages wrapped around her more fatal wounds... But, amazingly, she still remained beautiful, even with the curses haunting her body and the number '20121' scrawled across her back in an almost child-like fashion. She had stayed so strong for him until she couldn't stop Walter much longer from possessing her... and Henry knew that he could manage the rest when push came to shove.

The brunet smiled at her, watching her smile brighten in response before she glimpsed quickly at the bag once more in anticipation for the surprise he had for her. He fell back shyly, his eyes turning towards the floor as he began to shift his weight from one foot to the other repeatedly. His gift wasn't very expensive or elaborate... but it came from his heart, and he _sure_ she would love it.

"H-here..." he mumbled, handing her the white bag with a timid hand. She smiled at him, taking the bag from his grip and placing it on the table that stood beside them while the sound of paper tissue paper ruffling against her searching echoed in his ears. Dread dripped into his thoughts and he felt his heart clutch itself inward as he heard Eileen's gasp in amazement. "Oh, Henry, it's _beautiful_!" she exclaimed before rushing over to hug him gratefully and kissing his cheek again. Uncoiling itself, his heart fluttered about in his chest, an appeased smile lazily curving upon his lips as he inhaled the sweet scent of her brunette hair. The moment didn't last for long, which disheartened Henry, but he couldn't help but enjoy her cheerfulness. When she stepped back, he watched her undo the clasp of the silver necklace and put it around her neck before her fingers fled to the rose charm hanging just below her slightly pale neck.

"It looks nice on you..."

"Thanks... You know... Brad hasn't even done anything for my birthday yet..." she whispered, hinting that she slightly despaired but not completely saddened by her comment. His mind and heart soared through his body in tremendous victory, knowing that he gotten his present to her first. Brad had been put down, and Henry didn't even use anything too elaborate or fancy. As far as he was concerned, the score was tied now after the little 'lunch tactic' Brad had pulled on him and Haley and the brunet felt that he should defame the snob some more...

But he smiled comfortingly, placing a calloused hand on her shoulder as he bent slightly to level his eyes to hers. "He... He'll come up with something... I'm sure..." and as he said each word, his eyes betrayed him and showed her every stab he was thrusting into his heart.

-

The cool water felt so good against her heated skin...

Haley sighed as she turned off the faucet of the bathroom sink slowly before grabbing the towel beside her and wiping her face dry. She peered above the somewhat rough fabric to stare at herself in the mirror, her exhausted eyes meeting the reflection's before her dark, red-rimmed eyes darted around the glass' version of her bathroom. The college student was grateful that the anonymous shadow that had begun to lurk behind her lately was not present but she felt a sort of a strange loneliness now that she could no longer see it. Though it had scared her at first and literally made her scream, it soon became a natural part of her surroundings and became more of a protective unconscious thing to her more than anything else. It would follow her _everywhere_ but no one else seemed to be able to detect its presence. She sometimes wondered at night before she turned out the bedroom light whether or not it was that weird little Voice's altered form watching her as she went about her everyday routine.

Well, it was a thought.

Flicking off the light, she walked out of the bathroom to proceed into her living room to return back to the book she had been reading before she went on a brisk walk to clear her head. Henry usually accompanied her, but he was still over at Eileen's giving her her birthday gift. Haley hoped that it was going as well she thought it would, though it could be possible that it was going to horribly for the male brunet that he just up and decided to throw himself into oncoming traffic... Shaking her head rapidly, she drove away the sudden thought and went over the to the kitchen instead to grab a coke from the refrigerator.

__

"AntiSacrament..."

'Oh, God, not again,' she thought desperately, not ready for another one of these bizarre 'cessions' with the Voice again as she turned towards the counter and threw head into her hands. Her breathing quickened as she tried to dispel the Voice from her head, but it was no use. Even the shadow's presence was tingling up her spine and she slightly shuddered a sob at the situation she found herself in often as of late. It eased behind her, burning into her back with its eyeless gaze. "Just go away..." she groaned exhaustedly as tears began to fall from her tired eyes. The voice chuckled powerfully in her mind, his snickers driving her into a hopeless rage as she ran to the bathroom and began to scream at the mirror.

"Leave me _alone_!"

Gripping the ceramic sides on the bland sink, she stared as the dark almost menacing shadow began to take a more definite form, its Voice still chuckling. The ebony mist idly swirled like smoke behind her before shaping itself into a tall, structured male, though she couldn't make much more of it from that. _"AntiSacrament... I can't just leave You alone anymore... You're too close to the Receiver and Mother... And too close to My world..." _His hand reached for her upper arm, yanking her close to him so his inhuman breath angrily fluttered against her trembling lips as he gripped her arm tighter. She could tell by the quiver in his breathing that he was somewhat furious with her for some reason. _'He's bipolar...'_ she thought frightfully as she noticed his face was edging closer to hers. _'Or he just has some screwed-up mood swings... Or he's psychopathic...'_

__

"Don't hurt Yourself... You are too **important**... to Me..."

His lips brushed against hers affectionately and she shivered at the freezing sensation before he kissed her forehead. She gasped as he brought her body to press against his and a fleeting thought raced through her head at how... _insane_ it was to be pressed up against a person's shadow. "What do you _want _with me...?" she whimpered as he tenderly kissed her cheek before sighing stoically. _"You will be my body through this world. I'm too weak now... I used too much of My energy trying to kill the Receiver... so I am in need of You're body. Think of Me as a... 'split-personality...' though I am **quite **real," _he whispered lustfully into her ear before stepping away from her, leaving her cold and frightened. Haley glared at him and retorted. "I won't be your damned puppet..." she hissed abhorrently while snatching herself away from his muscular grasp.

__

"I'm afraid You don't have much of a choice... I **need **to be with Mother... The Mother Reborn **and **the Receiver of Wisdom will be separated from the flesh... and then I can be with Mom..."the shadow said lowly, his face turned towards her pale, frightened one. She shivered as he stepped close to her once more, the chills of his presence slinking up her bones. "But... what does this have to do with me?" she whimpered timidly, her hands reaching for any possible weapon.

__

"Because... You are Mine... Through You will I be able to be with Mom... **You **won't kill them... But until I have the power to finish this... I'll be here... 'cohabiting' with You... My AntiSacrament... After all..."

His fingers delved into the Southern's brunette hair, relishing the feel of real flesh against his shadowy fingers. He was silent for a moment before he felt that it was time that only 'part' of her existence be _mentioned._ He chose his words carefully, unsure whether or not he was going to be able to keep most of his intentions covered up but still willing to tell her of **_another _**reason why he meant to kill the Receiver... __

"You two **are** one and the same... and when He is dead... You can be Your own person... My sweetness..."

-

Henry slumped into his apartment, his feet dragging themselves as his emotional breakdown became imminent... He felt like he had lost everything... like he had nothing to gain but everything to lose... like he couldn't go one much longer if this kept up. Flopping onto the couch, he let his head fall back and eyes close as he thought about how his day had went.

Everything had gone fine... Eileen was enjoying his company and Mr. Snob was nowhere in sight. They had sat down with some lemonade Eileen had just made before he came and talked about the different things that they felt comfortable talking about. He had felt so happy... like _nothing _could have messed up his day... Hell, Walter Sullivan could have smashed through the door and shot him, and he could have cared less... he was just that cheerful. But then the doorbell rang, and Henry felt a dreaded snake slither into his throat as Eileen had gone to answer the door. The brunet had seen her enthusiastic joy before she even turned back with her package and he knew he had been shamed...

Brad had sent her two dozen fresh-cut ruby-colored roses, a card telling his utmost adoration for her, some fancy chocolates and a _very _expensive fur coat...

... The card alone was enough to break Henry's wallet... he was sure of that from seeing the perfect design along the tickle-me-pink birthday card... He had almost fallen over from the sheer _stupidity _of this guy for putting a real diamond _on a card! _How much money did this guy mean to throw away?

Eileen had obliviously started to babble on about all the stuff he sent, making Henry's heart sink lower than he believed it had ever done before. She went on and on and Brad and his _job_, and his _money_, and his _'supposedly' good deeds _and _contributions ... _By the time she got to the many extravagant gifts she had received from the blond, Henry felt horribly sick and nauseous...

Fifteen minutes after the package had arrived and shattered his menial hopes at having done better than Eileen's beau, Henry told her that he needed to go home. Eileen was trying on her coat (having put the roses in a clear glass vase, which stood on the coffee table) and she smiled sweetly, though disappointedly at him.

__

"I'd like for you to stay a bit longer... But, I guess you're not feeling well. Have you been eating right, Henry Townshend?" Eileen's hands fell to her hips and her motherly atmosphere seeped into the room's already bright aura. She looked at him with glowing emerald eyes that gleamed with both concern and annoyance. "... Because if you're not, you can have those chocolates Brad sent. I don't like chocolate that much anyway..." Stepping over to the box, she pulled out the heart-shaped cardboard container and handed it to the brunet. "He knows that I don't have much of a sweet tooth..."

Henry took the red box of delicacy chocolates out of pure spite for Mr. Brad Cauls and for the fact that he claimed to be the greatest fan of chocolate in the world (aside from Haley). Muttering his thanks, he began to walk towards the door of the apartment when he felt arms warp around his waist, stopping him in his tracks. "... Thanks again, Henry..." Eileen muttered into his shirt, her heated breath warming his somewhat cold nape. He could only grunt in response before she reluctantly let him go and he left her apartment with the shut of the door.

... Well, he sure could call himself 'unemotional' about then...

He felt despicable and yet nostalgic, like he deserved nothing but wanted the entire world in his calloused palms. Eileen deserved the best... why did he figure that he could have her all for himself? He had done nothing to say that he had earned the right to her heart... in fact, he had almost gotten her _killed _had he not have been fast enough to defeat Walter. She would have walked into the metallic churning blades in the pool of blood had he not speared that... **_thing_** and killed the man in the coat in time...

... So, if he deserved nothing, why did he feel so empty-handed?

-

__

End of Chapter Four

-

Yes, it's rushed... Yes, I have confused myself...

I got a new computer! _My first none-hand-me-down computer::grins:_

Review, please! I need to know if I make any sense...


	5. Everything I Know is Wrong

_Sorry this took so long; **You're Not Here **popped up while I was figuring out everything for this chapter. _

_Ah… onto the reviews for the fourth chapter and **You're** **Not Here.**_

_**Gaia Faye**: _**(Chapter Four) **_The_ _hotel he's manager of is in this chapter. Yeah, pretty much; Haley knows that 'shadow man' is out to kill and that if she talks to Henry, he's put in danger. Sorry about that… I'm forgetful; once I type a sentence, I no longer remember what information I put. You're welcome! _**(You're Not Here) **_No, I don't think it would; she's not in the Nightmare Realm when she dies. Yeah, Mother ending. Thanks. _

_**Saddened Soul**: _**(Chapter Four) **_Monies… :laughs: "Evil Plagiarizing Empress Kickiness"… I LOVE that! Thanks! _

**(You're Not Here) **_Yes, it is the **Mother **ending. Is the Cradle of Forest the For Her story? It was VERY nice. I'm lazy too. _

**_diddly_** _**day**: _**(Chapter Four) **_Yep. Chocolates… Mmm. You know, you would make a great inspirational speaker! Sorry about the 'brunet' thing. _**(You're Not Here) **_Thank you. _

_**Higashikaze**: _**(Chapter Four) **_I thought you played SH2, too. Henry's my fav., too. Um, I think she's starting to get that he has something deeper for her, but considering she's already in a relationship. :pokes Eileen: Thanks! (backandforthbackandforthbackandforth :Henry falls over from dizziness:)_

_Warnings are- a bunch of confusing crap that I don't even get, blood, slight language, Walter creeping OC out, spoilers (I guess?) and a bunch of other stuff thrown into this story to make it… **it.**_

_Henry, Eileen, Walter, and the nice concept of this having to do with Silent Hill means that **Konami**_ _owns **Silent Hill**. Not me in any way, shape, or form. **The Hardest Part **is sung and owned by Coldplay. (…I'm running out of chapter titles…)_

_Haley Oren, Brad Caulns, and the 'AntiSacrament' deal belongs to moi. _

_**If you need any information on them to better help you understand this crappy story, please put it into a review. **Thank you. _

**-**

_**The Hardest Part**_

_Chapter Five: Everything I Know is Wrong_

-

Brad Caulns paced back and forth in his luxurious office, wondering if Eileen, his girlfriend of two months, received her birthday present yet. He had spent a good bit on her but it wasn't all just for her happiness. While he hoped to make the brunette happy by his thoughtfulness, he also hoped to dowse Mr. Townshend's ideas of taking her away from the blond hotel manager. Growling slightly, he remembered the poor pauper of a man staring at her with hurt and longing eyes as she sat across from him. Henry hadn't spoken throughout the entire meal and Brad wanted to make sure that he made a statement which said 'she's mine so back off, scum!' The man didn't take all too well, he imagined, and the blond could tell he had won the battle of expensive lunches.

Brad couldn't help but laugh maliciously. Pauper's _heart _was breaking little by little and Brad knew soon he would have broken the man enough to where he backed away from Eileen and left her to a joyful life with the blond. The brunet realized in a heartbeat that his wallet was ten times smaller than the manager's and Brad decided to use that to his advantage.

But, there was that girl…

He chuckled, recalling her fury and annoyance when she gazed upon him. She had seemed intimidating, as if she would _truly_ do something out of the ordinary, like kill him in public. The Ritz-Carlton manager could tell he only had to push a few 'red' buttons to bring the girl to the edge of her seat in anger but he also knew when to back off. After all, he went by a golden rule when it came to women; 'Hell hath no fury like a woman pissed off,' and he could tell Hell would have been unleashed on his '_defenseless_' form had he poked at her weaknesses some more.

The phone began to ring and Brad was knocked out of his 'wishful thinking' momentarily as he moved to pick up the receiver and talk to whoever decided to interrupt his 'decisive planning.'

"Hello?" he inquired, somewhat irritated.

"_Hey, you," _replied a cheerful, bright voice as he heard metal pots clink together in the background. It was Eileen and from the brief glance to his computer, he could conclude that she was starting on her dinner. "How was your birthday, love?" he asked adoringly as he lounged back in his comfy office chair. Hearing a small giggle from the other end, he grinned in accomplishment before he shifted to take a cigar from the small wooden box at the corner of his desk to celebrate.

"_Oh, it was **wonderful**. Thank you so much for what you sent…you didn't have to spend that much on me…"_

"T'was nothing, sweetheart," he began in a whispery manner. "Money is no object when it comes to you…" He smiled when he heard a flustered chuckle from Eileen and he placed the cigar in his mouth before he lit a match.

"_Well, thanks anyway. You know, Henry got me something, too."_

Sputtering, Brad jerked forward, dreading what he had heard. That poor, useless _man_ was able to _buy _something for **_his _**Eileen! How **_dare_** that… **_scum of the Earth(!)_** interfere in his 'showing off of his money?' It was preposterous and inconceivable! How did he **_manage _**to _buy _something without _breaking his wallet literally in half_?

"…What did he get you?" he asked professionally, making it sound like he was curious, but didn't truly care. He took his pen into his hand now that the cigar he had prior was thrown across the room against the wall, still unlit, when he heard that _damnable_ name. Gritting his teeth harder than ever, he kept pressing the button on the top of the pen hastily in a means to calm himself down before he said something that he would regret and it began to work, though it was sluggish to do so. "_Oh, nothing much… just a little locket… He didn't have to get me anything… I never even told him when my birthday was and yet he took such means to find out,_" she sighed out as the sound of water boiling was heard from the other end and the blond chuckled. "No… you're right; he didn't have to buy you anything," he replied snidely, "_I _could have bought you that locket without the worry if I was going to break my budget…"

"_What's **that** supposed to mean, Brad?_" Eileen retorted angrily, sensing that he was making fun at Henry. The hotel manager could see her now, with her hands on her slightly tilted hips to accentuate her new-found fury. Only once had he seen the brunette willing to fight and that was when he said something about the apartment building she once lived in… He couldn't recall the name fully, but he did know that it was located in the downtown district of South Ashfield. "I just meant that, you know, with probably how little income-!"

"'_How little **income**' Henry gets, Brad? Is that what you're saying? That he's too **poor** too attempt to make someone's birthday happy and that he couldn't even buy a week's worth of **food**? Are you saying that **my friend**, Henry Townshend, is too **below** poverty line to get a gift for me? I never asked for it; I didn't even tell him because **I'm **the one who needs to repay **him**, not the other way around! He did it out of **kindness**, which is something that I believe **you** **lack**!" _And with a slam, the dial tone was heard and Brad blinked at the rage the woman had displayed over something so trivial.

-

Haley found herself staring into the mirror again… and she figured that she was completely crazy. The shadow of this unknown man still stood behind her, watching her after the strange little banter had occurred two days ago like he had before then. The brunette could tell his arms were folded loosely across his chest and he was leaning against the white wall as if he were patiently waiting for someone to come meet him. Twitching her left eye, she huffed at how _causal_ he stood there. It bothered her at how he acted as if he _wasn't _some crazy shadow that lingered in the confines of the apartment and she wasn't wearing herself out to the bare quick. Churning along with the thoughts of the shadow were images of nightmarish hospitals and forests where a man with half-hooked overalls floated about with a small shovel and a young man with a brownish orange jacket hovered above the ground as he gripped his chest, dried blood clinging to his grayish skin. The most disturbing image (other than the one of her dead) was the one of the little boy beckoning her deeper into the abyssal gore and oxidation with a flick of his wrist. She felt so sorry for him; he was stuck in her mind against his will. For all she knew, he was just a figment of the shadow's deceptive 'magic,' but Haley felt as if this boy had more of a purpose than to freak her out just a bit more.

… The college student couldn't stand those malicious eyes mixed with bloodied skin and that brown coat…

In the corner of her eye, she saw the shadow man move to stand fully on His feet and Haley sighed as she thought of the reasons behind his shifting. Stepping behind her, he wrapped his freezing arms around her shoulders and laid his head atop of hers as if they were lovers. She cringed at the scent of dried sanguine and burned flesh which suddenly began to accompany him often and yet he withstood his own smell placidly. Her dark-brown orbs squinted shut as she moved enough to hide her face behind her silky long hair. He was breathing sultrily against her nape, causing her to shudder at the extra chill down her back. This man always felt as if He had been exploring the artic tundra and the icy temperature never left Him, sinking in to His calloused skin… if He _had _skin at one point in time…

Hearing Him take in a breath of air, she tensed up tightly. Dreading the next few seconds, she waited to hear the blasphemous concoction from Him that pertained to her being the 'AntiSacrament,' though at times He spoke of a 'Receiver of Wisdom' and of 'Mother.'

"_AntiSacrament…"_

"Will you _stop **calling **me **that**!" _she screamed, pushing away from him and stomping out of the bathroom. Noting that he was following her, Haley huffed entered the living room before flopping exhaustedly down into a chair. She gazed upwards at Him as He stood beside her sitting position prior to letting her head fall sadly into her hands. He was winning the battle between them; soon, He would have control of her and she would be unable to do anything about it. He would kill these people without any remorse or mercy _through _her, forcing her to watch the horrendous sight as her own hand was forced to finish the dirty deed.

"… _**I **will kill them, AntiSacrament… though it will be Your body that I use to finish the Twenty-one Sacraments…"_

She groaned, pulling her hair in frustration. The brunette wanted answers, not some more of that crackpot crap that He was talking about. Haley wanted to hear _all _that would happen if this guy had His way and she _would _find out if she had anything to do with it.

"What in the Hell is the Twenty-One Sacraments! _Who _is this 'AntiSacrament' thing You keep calling me?" the college student asked imploringly as the image of the little boy returned mockingly into her close-to-insane mind. The 'evil shadow' did not answer her and she assumed that he would never tell her until whatever this new name for her was revealed through action instead of words. It chilled her; just the mere thought that He would use her for His deeds… it felt as if ice-cold metal was scraping against her bones, freezing the brunette's soul. In response, she quivered coldly as she pulled her legs up to her chest and curled up in herself, wishing and _pleading_ that these terrible

'_memories_' would go away… '_Just go away…'_

"_I can't 'just go away,' AntiSacrament… **You **cannot just go away, either… despite that You Yourself are a Shadow…"_

There was a pause and Haley heard a soft electronic hum enter the silence, the sound piercing the silence that she now wished had stayed. Shadow? How was she a _Shadow_? She was not a figure formed by the light hitting an object or person nor was she composed of dark whispers of smoke like He was… Tilting her head upward to stare at him with a bemused expression, the college student gripped her sweater-covered elbows that slumped slightly off of her knees.

_Shadow…?_

"_Yes. I am afraid that you are merely a Shadow of the Receiver of Wisdom… his 'other half,' if you want to put it that way. You merely exist; You interact with the world and yet You do not realize the destiny that was set for you as long as the Receiver lives. You are the 'Anti' of him, thus, 'AntiSacrament.' He is the Twenty-First Sacrament and You are his Shadow. You will soon start to fade into him and become nothing…"_

He bent forward, leaning close so that He could lay his lips on her cheek as a frightening realization struck her hard across the face mentally and emotionally. He had to be lying… she wasn't… He couldn't… the Receiver… the thoughts became jumbled now, her mind scouring the thousands of possibilities of this being a distorted way of her mentality saying that something was wrong with it. The low hum was becoming the sound of rough metal against glass, its screeching causing her to shriek in pain as man in the coat took her in His arms.

Realizing that she was in this 'traitor's' embrace, Haley began to push against him, yelling at him incoherently with her eyes tautly closed. When He didn't yield, she stopped, opening her chocolate-brown irises to find her hands… gone…

Eyes widening, the college student began to hyperventilate, swiftly bringing her hands close to her face, but she saw _nothing_. Haley glanced back and forth between Him and her 'invisible' hands before she heard Him sigh sadly at this new occurrence. "_It has already started… His being alive has started to take You in… Soon, You will meld into him… though…"_

"Though what?"

"_His **death** will make you whole…"_

Haley blinked, unable to take this in as she saw that her hands had come back to full view. She yelped loudly before attempting to stop her heavy pants and He pondered at her. His AntiSacrament was a peculiar being… if He could bring her to His side, the Twenty-one Sacraments would be completed and thus, He would be with Mother and she would be a true individual, no longer tied to the Receiver of Wisdom. ...And He would have a physical body that would enable Him to be with both His Mother and His AntiSacrament and together, He would be happy…

He remembered back to the days at the orphanage… where he was forced to read Scriptures that manipulated the minds of the children and to stay in formidable, dank cells… He recalled reading about the fabled 'AntiSacrament' and the two ways her power could be used. One way was for the benefit of the cult that ran the orphanage and the other would help the sinners of the tainted world beyond the dark walls of the Wish House…

Then, He read about a bond between the Receiver of Wisdom and this Holy woman…

Though He young, He found it to be unfair that such a person like the AntiSacrament could be brought down so easily… She was a being of power unimaginable! She was supposed to be able to bring the Victims of the Conjurer under her command and release them among the Land of Sin where they would do her bidding; she was supposed to be able to destroy continents with a wave of her hand and control the creatures inside of the Otherworld and of God--!

…

…She was supposed to help the Order bring back their God… who would bring upon Paradise… And yet… she was defeated by a man because he merely **_existed_** along with _**her**…_

… He **_loved_** her… He did want to envision a world **_without_** her…

"His death? Why does he have to die?"

Chuckling, the shadow of Walter Sullivan brought Haley Oren closer to his 'withered' form and pressed her head against His chest. Her fragrance was intoxicating; this He noted as He breathed in her luxurious scent, which consisted of vanilla and strawberries. It was so delectable and so unlike charring flesh and pungent flowers of blood that He was so accustomed to…

"_Because… You are **My **AntiSacrament… and I wish for You to be with Me… **Forever**..."_

-

Henry sighed as he threw the last load of clothes into the washer before shutting the door and turning on the cleaning appliance…

Eileen had called two days ago on her birthday after an argument with Brad over the phone. She had seemed upset and (though he was secretly happy) he acted as if he felt sorry for their relationship, listening to her quivering voice as she slander her boyfriend each chance she got. He remembered that his heart did little back flips and somersaults each and _every_ time he head that the blond was 'so _inconsiderate_' and that 'he had **_no_** idea what a relationship requires' and 'how **_dare_** he speak _ill_ of her good friend'…

However, he could have dealt without her calling him a 'friend,' since he wished to be _more _than a friend in her wonderful eyes…

Nonetheless, he was touched that she would consider him over all of her other friends to discuss Brad. Personally, the brunet would have figured that females turn to females to converse about their intimate relationships when something exciting or angering happened, but he didn't really mind otherwise. Whenever they talked together about the various subjects of daily life, he found himself enraptured by it all. Sometimes, they would stay on the phone for hours on end, never once glancing at the time to see if it was too late for them to be up. Those phone calls only ended when both were so tired they couldn't keep their eyes open... the brunet loved those hours in his life where he could just take in all that Eileen had to say…

For some reason, as he walked out of the laundry room to enter the kitchen, the brunet found himself humming a random tune cheerfully. The song ceased for a moment or two when the man figured out he was _happily humming, _but then he found himself chuckling with the same airy feeling as a handsome smile graced his features. Resuming humming, Henry opened the refrigerator door to peer inside to see its contents…

'_AntiSacrament…'_

Screaming painfully, Henry recoiled, grabbing the sides of his head as his head ached as if a metal baseball bat hit his skull with the force of a train going full speed. Veins popped up from his neck as his skin turned reddish from the straining his body was involuntarily doing as his agonized yells echoed throughout the room. Flowing inside his mind was bloodied, fuzzy pictures of what he had seen in the nightmare world and voice heightened when he saw the numbers before him. They flashed brightly, scarlet lights flickering crazily as the brunet felt blood drip from his nose, mouth, and eyes. Soon, his hands trembled and turned cold and numb.

"_Join again… Join again, O, Receiver and his Shadow… Melt into one another and save us all from the Conjurer's hold…"_

_21121…_

_21**2**21…_

_AntiSacramentReceiverofWisdomAntiSacramentReceiverofWisdom_ _AntiSacramentReceiverofWisd-!_

"_AntiSacrament, Hear Her call…"_

"No! _No!_"

Blood…

"_Whatever she destroys, she rebuilds… Whatever she mends, she obliviates. She will take—"_

_Void… Darkness… Gloom… Despair… Temptation… Source… Watchfulness… Cha…os…_

"_God outlined the Road to Salvation… Red God, Xuchilbara… Yellow God, Lobsel Vith… Angels… Paradise… God breathed Her last… Come… again… been lost… offer our prayers… faith…"_

"N-_No_! **_Stop it!_**"

Fear…

"—_every strike, every pierce, every stab, but in the End, nothing matters…"_

…_Mo… ther… Reb…orn…_

_21121…21221…21121…21221…_

"_For she is End of the Beginning…"_

"_Salvation… Joy… Sun… Gave people **joy**…"_

Knees falling to the floor… tormented screams scratching the throat… hands fisting brunet locks… pleads for it to end… A chest heaving deeply and quickly…

Justendjustendjustendjustendjustendjustendjustendjustendjustendjustendjustend…**_just… end…_**

"_Day and Night… time…"_

_Receiver of Wisdom…_

… **_Death_**…

_AntiSacrament…_

"_And the Beginning of the End…"_

…

Harsh, relieved pants… hands unclenching… throat alleviated… head falling forward… crimson and sweat mingling into one on the tiled floor… Silence…

"… **_Haley_**…"

-

_End of Chapter Five_

-

…

_IT MAKES NO SENSE! _O o O (ß _holding head in frustration and befuddlement)._

… _I won't blame you if you don't get it. Also, the nice little episode with Henry deals with the fact the Haley's 'disappearing' act happened at that time; she just didn't feel pain. She'll feel pain eventually, don't worry. _

_Also, I noticed that I mess up Brad's last name. Did you know that cauls have to do with fetuses? Freaky, huh? Well, his last name is **Caulns** and I forget to put that sometimes. Sorry… _

_Also, listen to **Two Evils **from the Silent Hill 4 limited edition soundtrack during the Haley and Walter scene. I think it sort of adds to it..._


	6. Waiting for that Bell to Ring

_You know, I can understand the 'reply response' thing, but I do like to reply in the story chapters. Ah, well. _

_Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I hope you all had a very Happy Thanksgiving!_

_Ah, the lovely warnings… I think we've made it clear what they are; gore, slight language and… a character death. I think. I know there will be one, but in this chapter, I don't know._

_Henry, Eileen, Walter, and that other stuff from SILENT HILL :woooo: are owned by Konami. Haley Oren and Brad Caulns belong to me. "The Hardest Part" is owned by Coldplay. _

-

_**The Hardest Part**_

_Chapter Six: Waiting for that Bell to Ring_

-

"…**_Haley_**…" came the name, as if it was an exasperated plea for something vital and yet it was not received… and probably never would be…

It hurt… it burned immensely as if there was a fire just under his skin and he could do nothing to quell it. Breathing heavily, he slumped over, his bangs shading over his pain-filled eyes as the flaming skin met with the chilled tile below him. Henry groaned and then sluggishly laid down on his back to alleviate the fiery sensations coursing through his exhausted body.

Glancing around at his surroundings, he sighed stoically as the flame died down at the icy feel of the kitchen tile and Henry felt the numbness that followed ebb away also. Something had happened… something horrible had just occurred and somehow, the brunet knew Haley was going through something similar. The coarse, intermingling whispers that he heard just recently still rung hauntingly in his head and he shuddered from the mentioning of the 'AntiSacrament.' Turning his head over to the other side to stare at the island in his kitchen, Henry began to think of the terrible reasoning behind of the anguishing experience.

… _Walter_… he was still around and powerful enough to harm anyone he saw fit, grinning that awful smile as he toyed with the lives of innocents like he had before. Regardless of his past efforts, Walter's evil still reigned its ugly head high and Henry felt that this time… he wouldn't be able to stop him… at all. He was weakened… blood still dripped from his mouth and scarlet tears fell from his emerald eyes as his hands trembled coldly. Knowing that he was in no condition to fight depressed him even though the determination to keep the man in the coat from harming anyone else still burned strong. The photographer wondered if Walter would go after Eileen even though he had been thwarted by them both before… he hoped to every deity that he wouldn't _dare _think about her… the brunet felt that he wouldn't have been able to take the pain of losing Eileen if he also lost Haley…

… After all, Walter wanted Haley for some no-good reason… the poor Southern girl probably knew somewhat of what the blond psycho wanted with her and was helpless- as hard as it was to soak that into his mind- to fight back.

The ticking of the wall clock in on the living room wall echoed frighteningly and shivers pricked at his skin still as the tenant of Room 302 attempted to finally stand up now that some strength had returned. Pulling himself to a sitting position, Henry laid his head on his hand as he conceived that whatever happened could and probably _would_ occur again. Grasping the countertop, the brunet heaved himself to stand on his feet after the dizziness quelled away, breathing labored and cold sweat dripping down the nape of his neck. Leaning against the pale, white counter, he held his heavy head as he managed to think about all the different things that had brought him to this moment.

"_AntiSacrament…_ Why her?" Henry yelled angrily as he slammed his fists into the wood, gritting his teeth, "What did she **_do_** to deserve to **_be called _**this damned '_AntiSacrament_!'" Waiting for his anger to dissipate, his ears strained for an answer from the silent walls and items of the Room. He supposed that the hauntings would appear all over again, like before when Walter was after _him_, and tell him some ludicrous stupid reason why she was now the core of all the problems taking place. Expecting that red blood would spill from the white walls as a corrupted victim tried to pull itself through or a soft 'meow' would be heard from the refrigerator behind him, Henry waited for some sign of illogical reference.

None of such came.

Why Haley Oren? Why him? Why Eileen? Why _anybody _for that matter? Why were so many people seized and dragged down an ebony, gory mist only to find death standing there in the form of a blue-coated man who was supposed to be _dead **himself**_?

The brunet could only guess that that was how things were fated to be… at least, in the world—or _mind _of Walter Sullivan….

… Yes, Haley had a temper… yes, Haley could be annoying at times when he was tired from work and bearing Brad's existence… but, in his view, she didn't deserve to be tormented and harmed in some form by Walter Sullivan. Hell, no one really did, but he supposed that some things couldn't be help with a suicidal, 'Room-loving' madman running around…

… "_AntiSacrament… Conjurer…"_

… He had to _stop _him… one way or another…

Rushing to the door, the photographer was just able to get his hand around the door when there was a knock on the other side.

-

"_Shhh… I know it's hard to take in…"_

Haley gripped Walter's shadowy coat as tears flowed freely down her flushed cheeks. After his '_loving_' words and learning the shocking truth that she was to fade away into some guy she wasn't even sure she knew… the Southern had thrown herself even farther into His icy arms, crying her brown orbs out. As He nuzzled her hair with His dark countenance, His hands rested against her shoulder blades and He grimaced slightly when He heard her sob miserably.

"_I'm sorry you had to know this way… if only he hadn't **stopped** me… You would have been safe… And We could have been with Mother…"_ Walter hissed malevolently as He moved His head to rest against her neck, His long, whispery hair tickled her delicate skin. Haley whimpered softly when she felt the pads of his ebony fingers press harder into her back, feeling His anger being seethed hotly against her throat. The sultry air made her shudder softly as a pinkish blush slightly enflamed her cheeks and the brunette tilted her head so she could rest it against His.

"Some things… can't be helped…" whispered the college student as Walter kissed her jawbone affectionately before embracing fully once more. Tears became fresh in her sad irises and the student just decided to give into to His kind aura, letting silence take over the depressing yet tender scene… It didn't last long when curiosity poked the side of her mentality, mumbling a question in her ear that she had wanted answered for some time…

"… What's your name?"

Walter chuckled at His own impudence, realizing that even though He had been at her side for several days now, He had not _once _even mentioned His own name. How was He supposed to _love _her if she did not even know His _name_?

… He decided to fix that minor problem quickly…

"_Walter… My name is Walter…"_

_Haley gently closed her eyes, seeing an image of the young boy again in her fatigued, emotionally-wracked psyche as his small, gory hand reached out for hers. A frozen air brushed against her and the brunette jerked. Gasping as she glanced frettingly around, she perceived that she was no longer in the cool bind of Walter, but trapped in a nightmarish daydream where sanguine coated the sides of a room and rust accented the distorted objects and doorways. There were no hovering, decaying corpses… yet, but she also saw no traces of the mangled dogs and hand-walking Siamese twins which relieved her greatly. The pungent odor of death reeked around her and she brought her hand to cover her nose defensively before she hurled._

"… _AntiSacrament…" his small voice called her happily as he beamed sweetly at her. Hesitating, she squatted down enough to lay her arms across her bent knees before he giggled childishly, running away from her to rush down a blood-ridden hallway. As she watched him fall into the shadows, the Southern straightened her body so that she could follow him. _

"_Hey! Hey, kid!"_

_Jogging to catch up with him, she found that her surroundings blended from a dank, horrid hallway to a menacing forest and she yielded long enough to gaze at the trees towering above through the light mist. A lantern's light flickered in the night air and the soft, contenting fragrance of pine trees met her range of smell. The girl inhaled it joyfully, despising the prior odor immediately. Walking forward, she breathed once more, only to find that the air was filled with the 'aroma' of…_

… _Burning flesh…_

_The crackling of flames and a static-like hum poured into the placidity, making the hairs of the back of her neck stand. A gurgled groan echoed behind the student, who slowly turned around with a flash of cold fear etched across her paled face and brought a lithe, trembling hand to her lips. _

_A young man… Haley could see glimpses of a pained, burned face through the menacing fire engulfing him as this unknown male twitched and floated towards her, a chalice hanging in his hand. Behind his approaching form, a slithering glimpse of something crossed the brush before edging out before a grayish woman slinked into the morbid clearing, her impossibly long hair trailing around her. They jerked profusely and hovered just above the ground before coming to a stop right in front of her…_

'_17121… Jasper Gein… Source…'_

'_16121… Cynthia Velasquez… Temptation…'_

…

'_19121… Richard Braintree… Chaos…'_

_As the words whispered through the soft breeze around her, something began to prick at her head; something harmful and yet achingly familiar. The stinging of another presence, and yet she knew before she caught a full view of it that it wasn't human. Another man this time, only elderly and standing completely on the forest floor with a pipe in his hand, ready to strike and the numbers '19121' carved in his forehead. A brief insult of his charred guise and tie flickered in Haley's mind, but it was banished immediately when the most frightening of them appeared…_

_The 'twins'…_

'_07121… Billy Locane… 08121… Miriam Locane…'_

"_Children… only children…" _

_They were just children… barely old enough to know that there was such a thing called 'evil' in the world… hardly old enough to **protect **themselves from a man who axed them and stole their hearts… _

_Tears abruptly pierced her eyes, and the Southern girl fell to her knees as ensanguined scenes of two kids played on a dirt road began to play through a grainy 'screen'… So innocent and happy they were, just playing with their toys… not a care in the world… Then a shadow loomed above them… fear and dread on their naïve features… an axe beating down on the boy… then the girl… screams… crimson and skin… hollow eyes staring at an endless sky as rain clouds formed above… _

_A bell rung in the distance…_

"_No… no…" _

_Another clang of metal against metal…_

_Two young adult males… strangled… choking breaths for help echoing deathly in the halls…_

_A teenager with dread on his face as he pronounced he saw God… before being beaten to death…_

_An elderly woman floating in a disputable source of water… garbed in black…_

_A middle-aged man writing mysterious markings on his own hands… a soft chant of children fading in the background…_

_A Hispanic woman… younger… stabbed… a… man holding her as she died…so familiar…_

"_A… dream?"_

_A portly man drowned… being watched by that same mourning man…_

_Electricity…a child… that **man**…_

_Eileen…beaten… numbers carved in her back…**Walter**…_

_As the cause of their deaths overloaded her horrified mind, the other victims came… and the numbers and names hissed into her ear similarly as before… The myriad of shushes would have completely overwhelmed had she not fallen to her knees and grabbed the sides of her hair for leverage against the melancholy onslaught. It wasn't possible… all these **things** circumcising her… used to be people…These corpulent forms were at one time **alive**…_

_How could have anyone have done this to them…? _

'_12121… Peter Walls… Void…'_

'_13121… Sharon Blake… Darkness…'_

'_02121…Bobby Randolph…'_

'_03121… Sein Martin…' _

_The list went on and on in no ordained order… just mixed-and-matched and dripping with homicide. _

_Finally… glimpses of the man that had been shown in some of the more recent deaths… began to take better shape… Haley could see that he was a brunet with broad shoulders and a exhaustedly saddened gaze at all he had seen in his ventures through the hellion safe haven. His eyes were kind and yet they showed a determination to right what was wrong in the nightmare…_

'_21121… The Receiver of Wisdom…'_

_So… **he **was the Receiver…_

_The college student, quietly resting on her knees now that most of the rushing insanity had receded, now perceived this man's true role. Regardless of whether it was because of her or not, he was destined to die… like all the rest… but that didn't mean the brunette had to agree with it… _

_The young boy now sympathetically stood beside her, laying a hand on her back before hugging her neck. "It's all right… Mommy wants to see You…" he murmured encouragingly. In response, the young woman shook her head, unable to see why all these deaths summed up to help one person… It was inconceivable, in a sense, to have so much blood on hands such as His... and such hands could be used for purposes **other **than insanity-induced murder. Resting her chin against his small arms, she shook her head again more fervently while feeling an acrid twinge growing in her chest. _

"_It's not right…" retorted Haley before grasping his tiny hands into hers. "It's not right to kill people…"_

"_But what if they deserved it?"_

_Gasping, she jerked her head up to find the man in the coat standing ahead of her kneeling form, His cold verdant eyes gazing upon her harshly. The ambiance she once felt as warm and amorous was now bitter and distrustful, signaling that the killer had taken hold of the man's body now and was ready to fully approach her with His psychotic meaning for destroying the lives of twenty people. Sensing His dissolving patience, the Southern clung to the hands of the younger form in fear of what He was capable of now that He had His physical being back…_

"_Answer."_

_A name voiced itself through her ears by some unknown sound and the woman raised herself as she took the child into her arms and held him close to her upper form in a motherly fashion. Glaring loathingly at Walter Sullivan, Haley tensed her shoulders bravely met His steel-emerald eyes with her own dark brown ones. _

"_The Receiver of Wisdom would tell you that '**no one deserves what You put these people through**…!' And I… agree with that; I **agree **with **Henry**!" _

_Her words seemed to have pierced His thoughts as a vague look of surprise slipped onto His face before the stoic expression filled the crevices back. The blond showed no contempt for her growled rebellion and He did nothing for a few minutes. _

_Smiling hideously, He stepped closer, and Haley pulled the child closer as he cringed at the nearness of the man. A calloused hand briefly grazed along the cheek of the female and though the blood on His skin sickened her, she found that she could not pull back. Instead, she leaned further into the feel of His skin on hers and soon, His palm was pressed completely against the side of her visage. The flame that once reigned against now barely lit the back of her mind now that His knuckles were caressing the area just beside her lips._

"_So frail… and so beautiful… My AntiSacrament…"_

_Chapped, torn lips fell on hers lightly, kissing her almost exaltingly as His hair tickled her calm countenance, all anger and hatred towards him blowing out in a puff of smoke. The boy in her arms became nothing but air and the formidable presence of the victims' ghosts left without a reason nor a trace. She became aware of Him and Him alone as His arms encircled her waist and pressed her quivering torso against His own. His lips stayed on hers lovingly and soon He began to pour His soul into hers after discerning that she would no longer put up a worthy fight…_

_Her fingers glided into His greasy hair as His essence, His being… they became a part of her…_

"_Through you… I will kill them… and soon… we can be together…"_

Eyes that were supposed to be russet shot open and revealed impassive orbs of emerald. The long, blue trench coast covering most of 'her' form creased slightly as she stood, motionless once 'she' achieved the stance. Listening intently, 'she' heard a muffled yell through the walls as a commotion took place in the apartment beside 'hers.'

"_You bastard!_ _You **stole **her from me!"_

A pained grunt followed afterward and 'she' smiled evilly, 'her' feet stepping towards the kitchen to grab a knife before moving to exit the apartment.

_Soon… **very** soon…_ _He would be with Mother…_

-

_End of Chapter Six._

-

_Hoped you liked that piece of literature… if it's **called **literature. _


	7. Everything is Torn Apart

**EDITED: **_1/25/06 – 1/30/06_

_Tremble in fear, I have returned!_

_Sorry this took so long… Exams, holidays, etc. helped hinder the chapter along with just pure laziness… But, it's done! _

_**That little note I wrote is now gone along with the block. Thank you Gaia Faye and SaddenedSoul for kindly slapping me back to my senses!**_

_As you all may well know, Henry, Eileen, etc. and all other related stuff belongs to KONAMI. Also, "The Hardest Part" is owned by Coldplay. Haley and Brad, along with the AntiSacrament concept belong to me._

_The warnings are the same: gore, spoilers, a death… blah, blah, blah. You know, those with weak constitutions have to leave the site, yada, yada, yada…Well, surely it won't be too bad…_

**-**

_**The Hardest Part**_

_Chapter Seven: Everything is Torn Apart… _

-

"_So… what did you think of Henry?"_

_Brad Caulns glanced over to his girlfriend, Eileen, and hid a grimace that tried to form on his handsome face. He wanted to tell her how much he **despised** Mr. Townshend and the young college student who barely gave him change enough to walk through the door before her mind was set on hating him but he held his tongue long enough to form a 'kind' response. "He was… all right…" he murmured unsurely as to what he wanted to say and what she wanted to hear. The blond was still trying to play his cards right to one day marrying the brunette and to say something that would offend her and her 'friend' would put too much at stake. "That girl… Heather, was it?"_

"_Haley… Haley Oren," Eileen answered with a big grin, obliviously happy that neither men would be jealous of the other if they became friends. She never wanted to hurt Henry, but she didn't want to harm anyone else, either, so the news that Brad thought somewhat 'well' of the photographer meant a lot to her. _

… _But why did she feel kind of… **sad** that Henry barely even spoke throughout the luncheon? Why did she want Henry to be jealous? It baffled her mind immeasurably and she racked on the thought for several minutes as silence entered the car. The lunch didn't exactly go as she had planned; Henry was supposed to openly admit that he didn't like Brad and act possessive of her… and Haley was supposed to sit there in a neutral position, not quite caring that the two men were about to fight over another girl. But none of that happened… the brunet male just sat there, picking at his food depressingly… Brad just talked and laughed with his girlfriend… and the Southern glared heated daggers at the hotel manager the **entire **time._

…

_Why **was** she so disheartened by her friend's reaction to her beau? Why did she even care if Brad was accepted or not? Yes, she was happy that they 'got along,' but still… the brunette had hoped that Henry would proclaim something that he had kept hidden from her… in front of everyone._

"_Eileen?"_

_The one in question almost jumped in her seat when her thoughts were abruptly cut short by the man driving. Gaining her ground, she gave him an assuring smile before leaning back into her seat, watching the gray scene rush in front of her. The city seemed to stay cold and ashened now. Everything seemed so dismal and quiet as if all life had been sucked from every person and object in Ashfield. It just depressed her, mostly, not being able to see but a few glances of it behind a cloud every once in a while before hiding behind the ashy clouds again. _

_Henry's mood today hadn't helped **her **mood either…_

"_That Henry guy didn't really look to well today, did he?" came a question that if listened to closely, one would pick up the tad bit of triumph seeping in it. However, Eileen didn't catch anything in the tone and just shrugged in response, sighing afterwards. "I wished he at least looked up at me… he has such wonderful eyes…" Eileen murmured sadly and Brad heard the melancholy she was feeling soak the words._

"_Oh, well…" he said through gritted teeth as his hands tightened on the steering wheel in anger… He glanced over to his partner to find a trace of love and dissatisfaction glimmering in her emerald eyes._

-

"You bastard! You **_stole _**her from me!"

Henry grunted as another punch connected harshly against his stomach, causing him to instinctively lurched forward and protect his lower abdomen. Harsh hisses of breath could be heard from the man now towering above him as the brunet fell to his knees bruised and beaten. He knew (_somewhat_) why Brad had literally stomped into his apartment and begin to literally beat the living daylights out of him while screaming 'you stole her, you stole her' all the while. He figured it dealt with Eileen and, somehow, someway, Mr. Caulns figured out that the poor photographer had a bit of more 'affection' than he would have liked, deciding that he had to 'reinstate' who Eileen's love belonged to. Although… the pained brunet was trying to come up with an idea at _how _he could have taken Eileen away from the rich, handsome, though _stuck-up_ man and _how Brad found out where he lived!_

Henry's harsh panting was all that met his ears for a moment or two, but then his strangled hiss accompanied the labored breaths as the hotel manager abhorrently grabbed his short, brown hair, forcing the slightly younger man to tilt his head back so their eyes could meet. Grimacing as if male kneeling before him was a dirty and disgusting lowlife, Brad leaned down close enough to where Henry could feel the heated breath against his sweaty skin. "I don't see _why _Eileen associates with you… I have so much more than you; looks… popularity among the famous… _money_," he sneered maliciously as he gleefully noted the flinch twitch across those emerald eyes. Chuckling lowly, the taller man brought his other hand up so his fingers could ghost across the photographer's chin almost adoringly. "Just about the only thing you have that I would **_die _**for… are those pretty little eyes of yours. They show so much emotion; more than I bet you wish to give away. I remember at that little 'luncheon' Eileen begged me to have with you and your… _friend_…" Brad hissed almost poisonously, recalling the vehement glares he kept getting from the student. But, he banished them completely, deciding that this quaint little _mind game_ was so much more… **_fun_**. Grinning mischievously, he continued to torment his victim by pulling cruelly at the locks of hair in his strong grip. "Oh, how I wanted to rip those precious eyes from you so that they could be _mine_! Not even Eileen has such beautiful eyes…" Henry growled at the insult towards Eileen though it was more so to the 'weird compliments' he was receiving about his orbs. He kept quiet, though, knowing that Brad was more than capable of snapping into a powerful rage if provoked.

"But other than your eyes… I hate _everything _about you! It's your eyes that keep Eileen attached to you!" Brad yelled frustratingly, teeth clenched firmly as he remembered his girlfriend's furious words being screamed at him from the other end of the phone. It was _his_ entire fault… this stupid man's _fault_ that Eileen was angry at him! That she was now fuming at her mouth because her soon-to-be ex-boyfriend made the decision to tell her his opinion of her _poor friend._ He tugged harder on his captive's hair, earning a yelp of pain and surprise from the younger male. The hotel manager waited just a few seconds more before grinning insanely at the thought of getting rid of those _perfect verdant eyes._

"…Maybe…" the blond began almost timidly, as if he were talking to a weeping child, "I'll beat those eyes out of you… then Eileen won't care for you anymore! She'll _hate_ **_you_** just as much as _I **hate **you_! "

With that said, he raised his fist to punch Henry's cheek. Shutting his eyes tightly, the brunet braced himself, too frightened to fight back… since he was too scared to dare hurt someone Eileen loved. The tense silence prickled uneasily at his mind and he quietly awaited the pain that was to come…

But… it never came… Instead, there was a sickening _gurgle _sound coming from slightly above him and Henry risked a glance long enough to see blood pouring from Brad's mouth. Almost shrieking, he jerked away from the crimson fluid, feeling the dread that was occupied his mind when he wandered through the bloodied hallways and horrible forests of the Conjurer's 'imaginary world,' waiting for some grotesque creature to come and end the torture. The look of torment and panic as blood and life was drained from Brad stayed with him as his widened blue eyes watched Henry's alarmed one until the two orbs glazed over. As the corpse fell to the ground with a corpulent thud, Henry noticed the end of a blue trench coat shifted just a few inches away from him…

"_Stupid Heretic…" _said a familiar sounding young woman with a man's voice in the background of the words. The brunet immediately picked up on the male voice, remembering the last words he heard from the madman.

Walter… Oh, _God, _it was _Walter…_

Whimpering slightly as the familiar ache returned to his head, Henry slipped back a ways from the new figure standing before, intimidation and fear creeping along his back with its long, sharp claws just grazing at the skin. He shuddered, half of his mind screaming at him to run for his life while the other retorted by saying he wouldn't get too far. Memories of what had occurred almost a year ago freshly popped back in his mind and the brunet felt that same grim feeling that he would be murdered by a madman proclaiming his apartment was his Mother…

"_Henry… Receiver of Wisdom…"_

Henry's head jerked upward to yell to go to Hell, but his eyes met with a person that though wore the blood-stained blue coat, had almost _no _resemblance to Walter Sullivan _at all._ The only other thing he found were those cold, almost childish green eyes gazing at him affectionately as mottled spots of sanguine dotted the pale skin of _her _face. Remembering that those orbs were supposed to be a dark-chocolate brown, his surprise finally leaped out of him.

"**_Haley!_**"

A horrible grin toothily came across the girl's face, and Henry shuddered in fear of the intimidation and evil in it. Blood dripped sluggishly onto the corpse lying distortedly at her feet and all the while the woman dared not move. She just watched him desirably, as if he were some cute pet in a shop window waiting to be sold to a warm home, but instead of feeling some kind of happy feeling, Henry felt as if the 'child' watching him wanted to impale him on a spike. Though, instead of a spike or a spear in her hand, a large butcher's knife was clutched in her lithe grip, the steel tainted by Brad Caulns' blood.

The _Receiver of Wisdom _could only stare in terrible awe at the possessed child as one question transiently flickered in his mind: _What happened to her?_

No longer could Henry find any trace of gentleness or rebelliousness usually evident in her smile; instead, he found a cold pleasure in her eyes and smiled that was stimulated by the torture of others… namely, those _He_ had hurt and killed. It was almost haunting, seeing her peer at him the way she was with her strange _emerald _eyes glinting with childish ambitions that she had never even perceived in her naïve mind until… _He _had returned… with nothing more to fuel him than the enjoyment that He would experience when the Mother Reborn's and the Receiver of Wisdom's stained His hands like all the other victims' had. However, the aura that Henry vaguely picked up on signaled that maybe…

He would enjoy Henry's death far more than all the others combined.

With that horrid revelation sticking grossly to his mind, the Receiver felt an icy shiver shock his spine as he reluctantly remembered all of the deaths he had seen done by the man in the coat. He remembered holding Cynthia as her eyes went dark and lifeless, watching Jasper burn and scream, staring upon Andrew's dead, floating corpse in the water… and trying so hard to find some way to help Richard as volts of white electricity convulsed through his body. Helpless… he was helpless to help even himself now. He had no nearby weapon of object to fight with since he could hardly bring himself to shift his weight anymore and he felt that couldn't _bear _the thought of hurting Haley… even _if _Walter now possessed her…

"_We meet again, Receiver…Though, I would have liked to be in my own body, but seeing as you destroyed it-"_

"Get out of her!" retorted the other.

Haley stopped, staring all the while at the brunet kneeling below her after he yelled at her. Not even feeling that it was worth avenging the interruption he had so _deliberately _added in, she raised the knife, feeling that it was time to finally end the war. And then, she would go and find the Mother Reborn… _Eileen Galvin…_the only other Sacrament that had eluded _His_ attempts before with the help of the 'little, innocent' version of Himself and with the Receiver's help which forced Him to find the AntiSacrament while taking the risk that she would banish Him into oblivion… His own Hell, frozen with stabbing flames of fire and thoughts of how much _wrong _He had done to those who had fallen to their deaths by His hand… But He had gained her trust… compassion… and soon…

He would have her heart…

But first, He must deal with the Twenty-First Sacrament, and He would do so through the AntiSacrament's body…

"_No… I don't think I will… You see, though I have admired your fiery determination and selfless sympathy for others, I hate you… more than that stupid Heretic that thought that **he** would be the one who would undo you…" _she said spitefully, eyeing the corpse lying face-down as it idly welled sanguine from the nape wound. "_But, fortunately, my sweet AntiSacrament hated him just as much, so I decided to help her with Her anger issue…I hope that maybe She'll see this and stop fighting Me…She'll see that I am capable of making Her life… better… and that I will make sure that She stays in this world to fulfill Her rightful Destiny!"_ She grinned wickedly, noting the glint of confusion forming in the emerald irises staring at her shockingly. Henry was bewildered to say the least, but there was the insane malice still manifesting in the now verdant slits glaring at him causing him to stand his ground and wait for some more cultish crap bellow from the two intertwined voices speaking it. "You're mad…" the brunet whispered softly to the girl who was still readied to strike. He couldn't help but feel sorry for Haley, who was being forced out mentally only to watch herself about to kill someone she knew.

A slight glint in her eyes showed that the other consciousness in the body was not taking this scene too quietly and a brief relieved smile traced Henry's lips. The Southern was rebelling, not all too happy that her emotions were messed with and manipulated but he was concerned that Walter would grow tired and annoyed with her logic and do away with so that He could fully control the AntiSacrament's corpulent form and use it for His needs. However, the man in the coat showed a wavering strength when the form He occupied fell to her knees.

The hand with the knife gripped in it shook terribly as Haley used what little control she had at the moment to throw it across the room where it banged against the wall before dropping to the floor. She began to pant, the physical form becoming exhausted as Haley took control, having thwarted Walter's presence long enough to possess her body. Nonetheless, the blond was fighting for control again, making the girl use all of her energy which left her holding her stomach and breaths becoming close to hyperventilation. Glancing up at Henry's frightened face, he saw that her eyes had reverted back to brown though they were dark with pain. The girl was struggling with the other entity in her mind and Haley knew she only had a few seconds before the relentless grip of the Conjurer returned…

"S-save…. _Eileen!" _she screamed pleadingly before clutching the sides of her head as the aching stab of Walter's aggression became more for her to bear. He was tearing her rebellious soul apart and with it, He was clawing unyieldingly at her hurt heart… All she could bring herself to do was help Henry get out of the Room before the blond slapped her back into the dark void of sub-consciousness and use her physical body despite how much it infuriated her at how _weak _she was compared to Him.

Green eyes flickered stoically to find the Receiver of Wisdom still kneeling there, watching her intently before standing up helplessly and jogging to the door. He stopped for a second or two, gazing hopelessly at his possessed friend who was now being forced to return to her feet. "You can break him, Haley… I know you can…" and with that, he proceeded to jogging out the door and down the hall, hoping that he would gain some ground between him and Walter so that he could set up a 'defense' for Eileen and him…

… While Walter moved the body throughout South Ashfield Heights, Haley felt the love and pity she had felt before for Walter swell for only a moment as she watched him follow Henry out of the building before it quelled itself back into her breast. Closing her eyes and accepting defeat, she succumb to this new Fate and wondered silently if she would fade into the Receiver some time soon so that the pain of the Conjurer's betrayal _might _go away… or that-.

… But she could only hope for such a merciful ending…

-

Eileen had jerked at the abrupt pounding on her apartment door and she grimaced, thinking that it might be Brad and his stupid antics to make her forgive him. Sometimes he just didn't _understand _that she needed time to calm and compose herself enough to where she wouldn't lash out at the blond hotel manager if he even said one _wrong _word. Hoping that her absence at the door would make him believe that she wasn't home, Eileen waited for the man to leave.

"_Eileen! Open up!_"

It wasn't Brad's voice… in fact, it sounded similar to Henry's… Walking up to the door, she looked out the peephole to find a panting, bruised, and frantic Henry Townshend standing at the door. She gasped at how pale and sweaty he was but what caught her attention the most were the traces of blood she found along his clothes and skin. "What _happened-_" she began but was interrupted by the brunet's rushing into the room and hurried motions to find _something_. Appalled at his sudden actions, she felt the previous anger at Brad direct itself at Henry and the brunette stomped over to him. At the time, he was searching the coat closet in an almost panicking manner.

"Henry Townshend, you'd better tell me what the _Hell_ is going on here!" she hissed at his back. Stopping his search for whatever it was he was looking for, Henry turned around towards Eileen with an expression of pure cold _fear _on his face. All fury dissipated immediately and her hand found itself to his cheek. Sympathy and comfort glimmered in her emerald and for a moment Henry felt compelled just to lean down and kiss her. But, reluctantly, he held back since one terrifying fact still stuck out in his mind like frost stinging his back poisonously; _Walter was alive. _

"He's **_alive_**, Eileen… He's been alive this _whole time_," he said, grabbing her upper arms in a fearful grip while trying to accentuate what was wrong. It took a full second for her to gain an understanding and, like Henry, her face blanched and gained a horrible expression. "No…" she shook her head in disbelief, backing up away from him until her back met the wall. The numbers etched into her back seared against the wood, causing her to groan in pain. But before she knew anymore of it, Eileen found herself in Henry's protective embrace, away from the 'evil' wall. "… I don't want to see you hurt…" he trembled out softly, a warm wetness dripping onto her neck where his face was buried. "I-I… d-don't want you… t-to _die…_I… I…"

Eileen smiled gently, turning her head to kiss Henry's cheek before rubbing his back as he sobbed. Though she had never seen him like this, she supposed the only thing she could do was stand there and show him that she cared about him, too. "Brad… he came to South Ash-Ashfield… and he's _dead…_ _He_ killed him… I-I'm sorry…"

Shock found her and it only made her dread feel worse. Walter had _already _killed someone…? And it just _happened _to be Brad? Tears leaked from her eyes and she shook her head. "No… he can't… I shouldn't… I _yelled _at him… b-before… Oh, God…" she whimpered in disbelief before sobbing into Henry's shoulder. Guilt stabbed at her heaving heart repeatedly, yelling at her for being so inconsiderate of Brad and his feelings… She didn't know why Brad had gone to Room 302… didn't _want _to know why for she knew that she would unearth something she would regret ever finding out about.

So she contented herself by sobbing and gripping at Henry's shoulder blades as something struck her hard…

'_That means…'_

Footsteps echoed in the hallway and Henry tilted his head upwards enough to listen, his own tears dissolving into awareness. As it reverberated just a few feet behind the door, he felt his heart thump loudly along with it in sync. He was dreading the outcome… dreaded the possibility that he might have to kill Haley in order to destroy Walter… or Eileen and himself would become part of the corrupted world along with the others before them as guilty, decaying corpses slithering and hovering heavily about, reaching out for some innocent victim (if another even came along) to vent out their pain…

Eileen's sobs became harsh, panicked pants as she also picked up on the noise and she buried her face farther into his neck, unable to bring herself to let him go.

His hand began to throb once more, similar to the episode that had surprisingly occurred before Brad had charged into the Room… but this was a _much_ milder form of the excruciating pain he had experienced. This one was withstand-able and the photographer presumed that the worse of these foreign problems happening in his body were over…

Well… that was the main thought until he felt another presence in the room and heard Eileen's gasp of horror. He felt her cling to him, fear and panic apparent with the clawing motions of her fingers. Henry looked over at Haley's wildly grinning face as she leered at the two embracing Sacraments before directing her main attention to Eileen's terrified façade. It seemed that she was delighted by this obvious reaction and, personally, Henry felt that Walter was enjoying a bit too much for his tastes.

"_We meet again… **Mother**_." The title seemed to almost _slither _out of her mouth as if it were a distasteful flavor tainting it, as if _they _were the enemy and not the way it truly was since a year ago. The brunet felt a tinge of offensiveness at the 'remark' and he growled in response while detaching himself from the brunette who still watched the AntiSacrament's form with widened eyes. After his unbinding movement was accomplished, the Receiver stepped in front of the Mother Reborn and held out an arm to shield her. The Conjurer was watched this sign of affection and protectiveness with perverse pleasure before concluding to churn the emotions just a bit more in order to see what more she could utilize against them.

"_You're helpless, Receiver. Trying to save a woman who could no better protect you than Temptation or Source could without even a weapon. Poor AntiSacrament, do You see how **pathetic **he is? And to think… **You're his** **Shadow;** You will disappear because his pitying existence. You will **die** because he just barely manages to escape death more times than needed or expected. He's a fool that needs to done away with… Along with the Mother Reborn…_"

Haley stepped menacingly forward, causing Eileen to move backwards in response. Henry joggled his gaze between them while contemplating what he should do. Finally, he came up with a unique yet risky strategy that would be affective enough to get the brunette out of the way of danger and, with some precision, he could get out of the enclosed space himself to buy enough time to figure out something.

But… if he _did _die… He twisted his head enough to see Eileen glance at him hopefully as the malicious, possessed girl advanced further to them. He gave her a soft, comforting smile, making sure that she got enough to figure out what he was about to do…

"I _love _you, Eileen…"

And with that stunning, untimely proclamation of adoration said, he steadied himself before lunging at Haley… no, _Walter _with all his weight and strength.

-

_End of Chapter Seven_

-

_I **think** that's it. If there's anything else, just tell me please. Reviews are always nice, ya know…_


	8. You Really Broke My Heart

_Sorry this one took longer than I would have liked. _

_All right, let's just cut to the chase._

_Not many warnings in this chapter, except for maybe a few spoilers._

_**-**_

**_  
The Hardest Part_**

_Chapter Eight: You Really Broke My Heart_

-

"_I **love **you, Eileen…"_

Eileen had stood entranced by this man who had once again thrown his life down on the line to save hers. If it wasn't for the demonic sight of Haley in a blue, blood-stained trench coat, she might've explained everything to Henry… The brunette knew he would be taken aback by her somewhat distorted reasoning behind taking Brad as a boyfriend but he would understand; this was _Henry_ and Henry wouldn't hurt her in anyway of he could help it.

But as of now, the photographer was in no place to talk leisurely. The Mother Reborn's eyes had widened when Henry had lunged at Haley and tackled her to the floor, causing a furious growl to escape the student's throat. They struggled against each other, one trying to overcome the other while Eileen just watched them almost fascinatingly. This lasted for several grueling moments before the male jerked his head back to look at her as the Southern freed a wrist and came close to punching his jaw.

"Damn it, Eileen, _run!_" he bellowed before a hand clutched his throat, effectively choking him. Instinctively, his rough hands fled to the lithe one strangling him in an attempt to pull it off as he vaguely recalled hearing her retort a 'no.' He didn't pay attention for long for the grip that was blocking his air passage tightened and soon Haley had taken put Henry at a disadvantage long enough to harshly throw him down to the ground on his back. "_Always playing the hero, eh, Receiver?_" inquired Haley softly as another hand went to caress the male's wet cheek. A soft chuckle coupled with some of the gargled sounds emitting from the brunet's gasping mouth and she noticed how the life was starting to fade from his emerald eyes. Grinning madly, she let her vice-grip slack before standing up to watch him cough severely. "_Does she mean that much to you? Do you love her enough to be killed? Do you love her enough to **kill **the AntiSacrament…? I've always wondered why you fought so hard when I forced her to walk to her death… and now I know…" _Haley's green irises averted to Eileen's pale, scared countenance before returning her gaze back to Henry.

"You leave her alone...!" Henry spat vehemently, the threat only reaching as far to Haley as Walter would let. Scoffing slightly at the hollow retort, the college student smiled psychotically before shuffling her hand about in a coat pocket and retrieving one of Walter's trademark guns. Pointing it at Eileen's stiff form, the younger female watched Henry's expression turn from rebellious anger to fearful shock. "Don't…"

"'_Don't' **what**? Don't make the mistake by pulling the trigger? You don't realize what will happen if **you** don't **die**, do you? She's just the next stepping stone; the new body for Mother when her soul is split from it… But you're more than just the Twenty-first Sacrament…"_

-

The shifting of a long ebony coat fluttered along the wind as a young man reached the apartment building, slightly out of breath. He gazed determinedly at the structure, clutching the book tightly in his hands for support and motivation. He didn't have much time… The AntiSacrament had been found and already the girl was fading into the Receiver. Things were rushing a bit faster than the small, broken cult had expected and though he knew that his peers were joyful at the news, the dark-blond couldn't help but feel something was amiss. He had traveled from Silent Hill to Ashfield in order to figure out the imbalance between the Receiver and his Shadow and soon, with his book in hand, he would learn why.

Priest Michael Belington rushed quickly to the door, pushing it open before jogging quickly to the source of the imbalance…

-

Henry heard the 'lucid' words coming from the Conjurer, panic, shock, and fear washing through his veins rapidly after hearing the 'role' he was born to play. A soft electrical hum and their short, almost inaudible breaths was all the brunet heard after the insane explanation came from Haley's mouth. He registered that Eileen was still in the room, unable to run since the gun was continuously pointing in her direction. She knew one wrong move would cause the trigger to be pulled and then all the blood and pain she had to experienced to the nightmarish world He had created would be for nothing…

But there was something strange about the new information Walter had given the Mother Reborn and the Receiver of Wisdom… something a bit _deeper _than what was explained to them by Joseph and his weird little notes. It was almost as if there was a whole new _level _of sacrifices and authorities beyond the Twenty-one Sacraments and it instilled chilling horror in her mind and heart.

Once again, there was a faint thump of footsteps, this time running, approaching the apartment door and soon they stopped. Onerous pants crept into their ears before the door was forced open and a tall, young man, clad in black, with dark-blond curls and vibrant blue eyes rushed inside and threw himself between the college student and her soon-to-be victims…

"_AntiSacrament_…! **_Why_** are you trying to fulfill the Conjurer's deeds!"

Walter knew who this man was affiliated with… the black priest robes and the book with the Halo of the Sun reeked of that awful aura of superiority and all-knowing greatness. Just the sight alone brought a soft, poisonous hiss from her mouth and the priest sensed the hostility literally _rolling_ off this young girl's lithe form. He didn't quite understand it… why was she taking the matter of sacrificing the last Twenty-one Sacraments when it was supposed to be the Conjurer's duty to fulfill the act before she was found? When the Descent of the Holy Mother was fulfilled, the AntiSacrament would rise from the ashes of the chaos and restore this Land of Sin by using the Sacraments themselves to ensure the people's cooperation in bringing about Paradise. … But this new situation perturbed Michael immensely and he wondered if something had happened to the Conjurer.

"_Why? Because the Receiver of Wisdom wouldn't take death **quietly **and had to destroy **My **body… My flesh…_" Haley began angrily, her dark emerald eyes glaring into the priests azure ones before furiously pointing the gun at the brunet male still on the floor. "_He couldn't die like all the others! **No**, he **had** to fight back! He **had** to save the Mother Reborn! He** had** to make the AntiSacrament **suffer **by being **alive** so that **she **would fade into him! And he **had **to influence her into believing that he was on the side of righteousness even though she'll **die **because of **him**!"_

Haley's vexed breaths filled the silent void of the room after her fit and soon tears fell from her eyes and down reddened cheeks, giving them the appeal of crimson liquid tainting her face. A sob convulsed through her body as the emotional distress showed itself fully to the _four. _"…_I don't want her to die… I **love** her… and I want to be with her… Why won't you let me have that, Henry?_"

"… Because killing innocent people who have done nothing to you is _wrong_. By torturing and murdering people… you bring upon a reputation that isn't easily made right by a 'cause,'" the brunet stated somewhat sadly, feeling a soft sting of sorrow for the man in the coat. He knew what it felt like to desire something that was out-of-reach… something that wasn't possible for you to take as your own and adore it all by yourself. Henry was very well aware of the agony that ransacked through his mind most days when he thought of Eileen's arm linked with Brad's… and more so when he imagined Brad taking her out to fancy restaurants and sending extravagant gifts and receiving her kisses of love and appreciation for it. "Look… I understand what it _feels _like to love someone so much that you want to stay with them forever… but you've… done _too much _to claim that you're… _right _for Haley."

A strange expression crossed the college student's face and one of the priest's eyebrows quirked upward in confusion. The Conjurer had been defeated? How had they not known of this…? Yes, the Order's limitations were great and they had only a few members left… but _surely_ one of the higher priests or priestesses would have been able to at least sense that Walter Sullivan had failed in his plan to bring back 'Mother.' And now, here the man was, inside the mind of a young girl who had probably never even gave a second thought about being something more than she was. But Michael knew that the girl wouldn't be anything more than a Shadow if the Receiver's demise was fulfilled.

As the conversation was going on, Eileen had watched Henry intently as tears flowed from her eyes, picking up the hurt in his words as he spoke to Haley's possessor. She hadn't known… she hadn't _cared_ enough to look deep enough in Henry's shy glances or comments to see that the brunet male felt more for her than anyone else in the world. Eileen had always assumed that Haley and Henry would eventually start dating and end up becoming a couple, but after those three words of commitment and affection fell from the male's lips to her, she thought differently. However, she doubted that she would have much of a chance to think through it fully until something was done about Walter… once and for all.

-

He… was not right for the AntiSacrament?

The Conjurer began to ponder over the proclamation given to Him by the Receiver and then wondered how Haley was reacting to all this. The brunette female hadn't said much since the power struggle incident in Room 302, and He now realized her silence and compliance. _'…Haley?'_ He asked telepathically, hoping dimly that He would get a response of some kind. After a moment or so, He heard a soft sigh escape from the AntiSacrament's lips before hearing a reply.

'What is it?'

'_Are you happy?'_ came the timid inquiry from the almost childish man.

Once again, she waited in responding to Him, not knowing quite how to answer such a simple-sounding question. Instead, Haley just sat there, still as a statue, locked in her own mind, thoughtfully going over the inquiry. Half of her could say 'no' because of Walter's actions against innocents, her friends and herself… but another side said 'yes' because someone out there _loved_ her and was willing to _kill_ for her existence. But, she reminded herself, murder is a murder no matter how anyone might angle it. Whether the act is for self-protection or for revenge, blood still tainted the hands of the one who took another's life. So, finally deciding on an answer for the blond male, she straightened her shoulders and tilted her head upward to look him straight in the eye.

'_Well?'_

'… I _don't _know…' she answered in an almost wistful tone.

-

"Conjurer?"

No response.

Michael supposed now would be a good time to interject his words into the room while the air was stilled and safe so he turned to the man on the floor and the female kneeling just a few feet from him and put on a stern face. "The Conjurer, I suppose, is talking with the AntiSacrament… Maybe she is fighting His presence… Come, while He is busy…"

Henry and Eileen both glanced at each other hesitatingly before looking at Haley, who wore a blank expression and had deep, fathomless dark emerald pools for eyes. A shiver ran down the brunet male's spine icily which felt as if a knife was lightly dragging across his back and he nodded to Eileen, signaling that it might be best to leave. They slowly stood up, fearful that any movement would startle Walter into awareness and provoke any kind of attack, but obviously something was wrong inside Haley's head and they took advantage of it fully.

They had proceeded sluggishly downward to the third floor when they decided to increase their pace and soon, the Receiver and the Mother Reborn were trotting swiftly down the stairs to the Lobby, glancing behind their shoulders almost every other second to see if Haley was stalking them in their flee… but nothing followed their descent and soon Henry and Eileen found themselves outside of the apartment building with a young man they had never even seen before. Deciding that they would be out of danger long enough to learn a bit about this new acquaintance, the photographer stepped towards the priest and sternly asked who he was and how did he know about Haley and Walter.

"My name is Michael Belington and I'm a priest for the Order," the dark blond answered before stepping back when anger flared in the brunet male's eyes. He thought it would have been obvious, since Walter's murder case was internationally known and since this man and woman had experienced His worlds, but he guessed that both held heavier contempt for the blond murder than he imagined.

Henry's teeth gritted together and he felt his jaw ache at the pressure as his fists trembled. _He _was from the cult that had brainwashed Sullivan! _He _had **_helped_** them! _He _had the _nerve_ to show his _face_ to them! It was baffling and infuriating and almost insulting since this man had just walked in and helped them escape when _he_ was part of the same cult that had caused this whole mess! The Receiver found himself wanting to strangle the younger man and then snap his neck so that he could scream that he exacted _some _revenge on the Satanist organization…

But he kept himself in place, taking in Eileen's presence when he felt her comforting hand on his shoulder and using it as a vent for his vexation. Henry almost shuddered when he felt the soft palm begin to rub his upper back and the fury that swelled with the intensity of a conflagration fade into silent calmness- or as calm as one could get with a psycho, Mother-obsessed killer after them.

"I know that you're angry about all this… but the girl is in danger and having the Conjurer inside of her mind could be doing more harm than good to her…"

-

Haley's corpulent form still stood in Eileen's apartment, the two presences in her mind causing the body to remain motionless. Walter knew that the Receiver of Wisdom and the Mother Reborn had left the room, but He couldn't bring Himself to go after them when His AntiSacrament was still sitting on her knees on the 'floor' of the dark void around them, wondering whether she could accept this Fate or not. He found that if He watched closely enough at her beautiful countenance He could see the faint traces of conflict wrinkling her brows and lips.

'_I'm sorry… that you don't know if you're happy or not… I wish you could tell me what would **make** you happy…'_

Haley just raised her head at Him and shook her head, denying His apology. 'You can't _do _anything… Because no matter what… You'll break my heart either way.'

-

_End of Chapter Eight_

-

_R&R, please._


End file.
